Date: February 2, 2018
MAC Press Release No. 8
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) stated on February 2, in regards to the annual Working Conference on Taiwan Affairs held by the Mainland authorities and release of related information, that the main causes of the stagnation in cross-Strait relations are the "one-China principle" and "1992 Consensus" unilaterally established by the Mainland as the political basis for cross-Strait interaction, as well as Beijing's attempts to pressure, intimidate, and belittle Taiwan by various means.
The MAC indicated that the Republic of China is a sovereign state. Public opinion polls conducted in Taiwan over the years have shown that over 80% of the public support the government's policy of maintaining the status quo of peace and stability and position that the 23 million people of Taiwan should jointly decide the future of cross-Strait relations and Taiwan. This is the greatest consensus in Taiwan society. Facing the Mainland's two-pronged strategy of intensifying pressure and advancing so-called integrated development measures, the government again calls attention to the differences that exist between systems and values of the two sides. The people of Taiwan should carefully assess the potential risks before visiting the Mainland and engaging in exchanges and cooperation with the Mainland. The government will also review security management for cross-Strait interactions to maintain social order and the rights and interests of the people in Taiwan, as well as the healthy development of exchanges.
The MAC stressed that maintaining benign cross-Strait interactions is the responsibility of both sides. It is not about one side exerting political and military force to compel the other side to compromise. The other side's lack of respect for the people of Taiwan in this regard is unhelpful to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the region. We call on the other side to abandon the negative actions in its so-called "New Age" deployment against Taiwan, which only pull the feelings of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait farther apart. We also call on the Mainland to promptly communicate and hold consultations with Taiwan and to shoulder its due responsibility to maintain cross-Strait peace. Only then can a new environment emerge for the two sides to advance together.