MAC: Taiwan's constitutional reengineering project is aimed at deepening democracy, strengthening government functions, and safeguarding the rights and interests of the people. In order to truly protect the rights and interests of the Taiwanese people, cross-strait agricultural exchanges should be promoted in an orderly sequence after the responsible authorities across the Strait have conducted negotiations.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) indicated today (September 27, 2006) that Taiwan's constitutional reengineering project is aimed at deepening democracy, strengthening government functions, and safeguarding the rights and interests of the Taiwanese people. The constitutional reengineering project will not only be promoted in conformity with democratic mechanisms and operations, but will also be carried out based on the “bottom-up and outside-in” civic participatory model. Besides, various constitutional proposals will be first put forward by civic groups before political parties are engaged. The project also entirely accords with the spirit and methods in which democratic countries internally address issues of constitutional government. Public opinion in Taiwan regarding these matters is highly supportive. Today, China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) issued an absurd statement regarding the issue of constitutional reengineering project in Taiwan. The statement fully shows that the Chinese authorities lack a basic understanding of the operating principles of representative democracy. It also exposes the Chinese authorities' fundamental inability to understand the trend of mainstream public opinion in Taiwan. China’s repeated acts of issuing such statements and attempting to interfere in Taiwan's internal affairs have absolutely no positive significance for the development of cross-strait relations.
The MAC emphasized that in a democratic country, it is normal for the government to respect the people's right of free choice and to follow the trend of mainstream public opinion in the country. The Taiwanese government is pursuing constitutional reform based on considerations of security in the Asia-Pacific region and the needs for the future construction and development of the Republic of China. By contrast, it is China that poses the greatest obstacle to the development of cross-strait relations by threatening peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait though its continued military deployment against Taiwan, and by its irrational suppression of Taiwan in the international arena. The MAC further indicated that according to relevant information, the Chinese authorities have chosen Taiwan's constitutional government as the focal point in their attempts to divide Taiwan internally, to intimidate Taiwan politically and militarily, and to employ their coercive tactics in the international community. The Taiwanese people and the international community should therefore be further aware that China will continue to intensify its criticisms and defamatory actions on this issue.
Moreover, MAC indicated that major differences do exist between the agricultural industries across the Strait. It is a fact that Taiwan's agricultural level is higher than that of China, and this fact cannot be altered unilaterally by words from the Chinese authorities. The MAC solemnly stated that Taiwan should consider overall economic factors and globalized operations approach in promoting its agricultural development. In order to truly protect the rights and interests of the Taiwanese people and ensure that agricultural exchanges truly benefit both sides, cross-strait agricultural exchanges should be promoted in an orderly sequence after the responsible authorities across the Strait have conducted negotiations. In the current stage, the Chinese authorities are manipulating specific issues concerning agricultural exchanges as a means of economically absorbing Taiwan and employing its "United Front" tactics. It is the responsibility of the government to urge the people to maintain vigilance. It is also imperative that the government manage exchange activities that are likely to harm Taiwan’s overall agricultural development and the rights and interests of Taiwan's farmers.