Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (November 24, 2021) made a solemn response to the incessant threatening remarks against Taiwan made by mainland China’s Taiwan Affairs Office. The MAC reiterated that the future of Taiwan should be determined by its 23 million people out of their free will— there is no space for the authorities of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to interfere, nor is there any possibility for Taiwan to ever accept Beijing's false and arbitrary "one China” principle as a political endgame. Mainland China has attempted to undermine Taiwan's democracy and the rule of law through political or economic means so as to shift focus from its own policy failure; however, history has shown that such moves are completely futile and will only backfire.
The MAC emphasized that the Beijing authorities have been repeatedly hyping the smearing campaign of Taiwanese individuals by labeling them as “pro-Taiwan independence or sponsors of Taiwan Independence activism” to force them to choose a side. This is aimed at dividing the Taiwan society and has harmed the rights of the people and operations of Taiwanese businesses. Recently, the CCP has even resorted to spreading the list of corporate political donors and related information and imposing sanctions on Taiwanese businessmen to intimidate Taiwan and sabotage our elections and democratic processes. Such schemes specific to authoritarian regimes are extremely vicious and will only fuel strong antipathy in people of Taiwan. Our government, once again, sternly warns the other side across the Taiwan Strait to refrain from being obstinate or provoking antagonism; instead, the CCP should immediately retract its unjust and illegitimate actions. Our government reminds Taiwanese businessmen and citizens in mainland China to heighten their risk awareness; meanwhile, it vows to assess related developments and deliberate the adoption of necessary countermeasures and pre-emptive measures to safeguard national security and people's rights.
The MAC indicated that the Republic of China is a sovereign state. Taiwan's participation in the US-hosted Summit for Democracy is the proof that Taiwan’s free development of a vibrant democracy has won significant international affirmation. The authoritarian regime of the CCP is not eligible for participating in the summit, nor is it in any place to comment on the matter. Taiwan will continue to deepen cooperation with like-minded countries around the world to jointly urge the other side across the Taiwan Strait to improve democratic governance and protect human rights. We also call on the Beijing authorities to face up to the cross-Strait reality, consider pragmatic ways to handle cross-strait affairs, and carry out substantive democratic reforms; only these actions could lead cross-strait relations to greater harmony.