Date: July 24, 2019
MAC Press Release No. 71
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today (July 24) expresses opposition to the handling of the Taiwan Strait issue in the defense white paper recently published by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), as well as the paper's many fallacies that aim to shift responsibility for this issue onto the government of Taiwan. We strongly oppose and denounce Beijing’s use of the cross-Strait issue as a pretext for military expansion, as well as its threats to use force against Taiwan. The CCP’s provocative behavior is not just an attack on cross-Strait peace; it also seriously violates the peaceful principles of international law and international relations, challenges the regional security order, and creates unease and concern among neighboring countries. During a press conference today, China defense ministry spokesperson further suggested that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could be deployed to deal with the situation in Hong Kong, an attempt to recreate the Tiananmen Square crackdown of June 4, 1989, in the streets of Hong Kong. We hold that the CCP’s claims in this paper -- that it would never seek hegemony, that it would never pursue expansion, and that its military construction is strictly for peaceful purposes -- are all essentially lies to mask its military encroachment, and we call on the international community to seriously address and take steps to counter its actions in this regard.
The MAC reiterates that the biggest threat to peace in the Taiwan Strait and stability in the region is the CCP’s abiding refusal to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. Since Xi Jinping raised his “five points” at the beginning of this year, we have witnessed the frequent military exercises conducted by the PLA and the patrols by its aircraft and ships in the areas immediately surrounding Taiwan, not to mention Beijing’s efforts to infiltrate Taiwanese society to echo the CCP’s position and force Taiwan to accept its bankrupt “one country, two systems” approach. The CCP’s manipulation of anti-democratic and violent forces and its attempts to resort to war are the central factors creating tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the broader region. We call on the CCP to acknowledge these facts: that the Republic of China is a sovereign country, and that Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China.
The CCP’s long refusal to accept these facts, together with its attempted use of political and military means to suppress and eradicate the Republic of China, has seriously infringed upon the free will of the Taiwanese people and their lives, property, and safety. Our government has the responsibility to continue to strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense capability and enhance measures to protect our democracy, and it is committed to uphold our national sovereignty and democratic system while safeguarding the right of Taiwan’s 23 million people to choose their own future. We call on Beijing to improve cross-Strait relations and truly be a responsible regional stakeholder by promptly renouncing the use of force and other irrational and malicious approaches, and by acting with reason in handling Hong Kong and other issues.