Date: June 3, 2020
MAC Press Release No. 33
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement today (June 3, 2020), on the eve of the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Incident. It stated that, the mainland Chinese people stood up for democracy and freedom at the Tiananmen Square in 1989, but was silenced by the Chinese authorities through force and suppression; even to this day, the Chinese authorities continue to conceal and avoid facing the truth. The MAC deeply regrets this. It calls on the Beijing authorities to squarely face the people's hope for freedom and democracy, promptly embark on political reforms consistent with democratic procedures and justice, re-examine the historical truth of the Tiananmen Square Incident and apologize sincerely for their behavior. Only thus would the Mainland be able to improve the Chinese people’s welfare and be capable of effectively governing a civilized society.
The MAC stressed that the one-party dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long lacked a ruling ideology linked to universal values. It holds the people of Xinjiang in concentration camp-like centers, persecutes dissidents and religious people, and suppresses freedom of speech at the cost of the people's health and life. It has also imposed a national security legal system on Hong Kong, violating its own pledge of allowing Hong Kong democracy under the "one country, two systems" model. By coercion and violence, and high-tech grid surveillance and detention, Beijing continues to intensify its encroachments on human rights. We call on the current authority to own up to and correct their mistakes, enact immediate reforms that return power to the people, and demonstrate their respect of the people’s opinions. This is the only way to resolve conflicts and contradictions, for a free and open civil society is the drive pushing forth development.
The MAC pointed out, President Tsai Ing-wen reiterated in her inauguration speech that "peace, parity, democracy, and dialogue" are the keys to benign interaction between the two sides. The Mainland side should relinquish its methods of force and suppression and, on the basis of these four principles, work pragmatically with Taiwan to improve the protection of human rights and democracy across the Strait. Such actions would further support positive development of cross-Strait relations. The MAC also reiterated that the Beijing authorities should promptly release Mr. Li Ming-che, who has been imprisoned for three plus years over an unjust sentence, and allow him to return home to Taiwan.