October 2, 2019
Chiu Chui-Cheng: Sovereignty, Freedom, and Democracy of the ROC Form an Intransgressible Bottom Line for Cross-Strait Exchanges and Cooperation
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-Cheng met with a delegation of the US-based think tank Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (Wilson Center) yesterday morning (October 1, 2019). He stated that, amidst "maximum pressure" from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the government remains committed to defending the core values of the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC) and the freedom and democracy enjoy by the people of Taiwan. This is the intransgressible bottom line for the government in promoting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.
The Wilson Center delegation was led by Ambassador John D. Negroponte. Deputy Minister Chiu exchanged views with the delegates on the status of cross-Strait relations, Hong Kong’s ongoing protests, as well as the regional political and economic situation.
During the meeting, the delegates were concerned about how the government responded to mainland China's united front tactics such as "promoting unification through economy" and other actions that unilaterally undermined the status quo of the Taiwan Strait. Deputy Minister Chiu responded by indicating that during the past three-plus years of President Tsai Ing-wen's administration, Taiwan has played an active role in promoting regional peace and stability and repeatedly called on mainland China to shoulder the shared responsibility of improving cross-Strait relations. However, Beijing has failed to respond in good faith. Instead, it has continued to disregard Taiwan's democratic values and sought at every turn to limit the ROC’s space for survival.
Deputy Minister Chiu stressed that Taiwan has constantly strived to make a positive impact on mainland China through a cross-Strait policy rooted in goodwill reconciliation and active cooperation. We welcome mainland China to learn from Taiwan's democracy for its future development path. However, these efforts by Taiwan are difficult to sustain due to the nature of the CCP regime and Beijing's recent maximum pressure on Taiwan. These actions not only go against the tide, but also set the Mainland apart from being a free society.
In addition to thanking the US government and Taiwan-friendly advocates for their longstanding support for Taiwan, Deputy Minister Chiu also pledged that Taiwan would fulfill its duty to improve cross-Strait relations, be a force for good in the Indo-Pacific region, and continue to cooperate with like-minded countries. Taiwan would play a more active and positive role on the international stage and seek for even greater contributions to the world.