September 24, 2019
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng recently visited San Francisco, USA. During a press reception held there today (September 23, 2019, US Pacific Time), he emphasized that, since issuing Xi Jinping's "five-point proposal" at the beginning of this year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has put extreme pressure on Taiwan. It steadily pushes Taiwan into accepting its "one country, two systems," seeking thereby to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, to eliminate the Republic of China (ROC), and to influence Taiwan's elections. The ROC government is determined to safeguard national sovereignty and Taiwan's freedom and democracy. It resolutely opposes "one country, two systems." The government also hopes that the international community and overseas Taiwanese will support its cross-Strait policy and jointly protect Taiwan, ROC.
Deputy Minister Chiu said that the CCP has exerted extreme pressure on Taiwan since the issuance of Xi Jinping's "five-point proposal." With the intention of eliminating the ROC, the CCP forces Taiwan to accept its "one country, two systems" through escalating military and diplomatic threats and the division and infiltration of Taiwan’s society. These works have seriously undermined normal exchanges between the two sides and threatened the status quo of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Recently, the Mainland maliciously wrestled away two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati. It also announced several measures to restrict cross-Strait exchanges, including unilaterally banning individual tourism to Taiwan and forbidding films and personnel from participating in the Golden Horse Awards. Moreover, The CCP seeked to influence Taiwan's elections. It is certain that as the elections approach, pressure from the CCP and its intervention will only increase.
Deputy Minister Chiu said that since the proposal of "Xi's five points" in January this year, the CCP has constituted a formal declaration of the People's Republic of China to annex the ROC. It advanced the unification process by proposing a "one country, two systems model for Taiwan," inviting people from all sectors in Taiwan to the Mainland for so-called "democratic consultations" and reiterating its refusal to renounce the use of force against Taiwan. The CCP's unilateral, escalating actions have imperiled cross-Strait relations.
Deputy Minister Chiu explained that to respond to the serious challenges surrounding the cross-Strait situation since the issuance of Xi Jinping's "five-point proposal," President Tsai Ing-wen has proposed "four musts" in cross-Strait relations and a "three-part security network." The president has also presented guiding principles for countering the CCP's "one country, two systems model for Taiwan." These directives are vital to safeguard Taiwan's interests. Relevant government departments are actively implementing them and have recently completed the amendments to five national security related bills. Taiwan will continue to strengthen relevant national security measures and mechanisms and gradually establish a "security network for democracy." In addition, a MAC public opinion survey showed that more than 80% of the people in Taiwan oppose the CCP's "one country, two systems" and its united front actions to infiltrate, win over, and divide Taiwan. A similar percentage also supports the government's policies to protect Taiwan.
Deputy Minister Chiu said that democracy and peace are the keys to the development of cross-Strait relations. He also noted that advancing the positive development of cross-Strait relations is a mutual responsibility for the two sides. Over the past three-plus years, the ROC government has adhered to the principle of no provocation and remained committed to maintaining peaceful and stable cross-Strait relations. In the future, it will continue to firmly defend the sovereignty of the ROC, Taiwan's democracy, and the welfare of the people, as well as to promote peace in the Taiwan Strait and stability in the region. During the visit, various US parties affirmed and supported the ROC government's cross-Strait policy. However, they worried that further pressure on and infiltration of Taiwan by the CCP would undermine the status quo and influence the elections.
Deputy Minister Chiu emphasized that the government will continue to strive to safeguard national sovereignty, freedom, and democracy with strong conviction. It will also join with friendly international forces to promote peaceful and stable cross-Strait and regional development. The government called on the CCP to pragmatically face the objective fact of the existence of the ROC, respect the democratic values and institutions upheld by the Taiwanese people, cease its malicious suppression of Taiwan, and create opportunities to improve cross-Strait relations.