Date: September 3, 2020
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is to hold the Straits Forum in mid-September this year, and has started inviting Taiwanese people for in-person or video participation. The Straits Forum is a large-scale platform hosted by the CCP to advance united front work against Taiwan. Over the years, the CCP has been using the forum to seek to win over and divide Taiwan in order to achieve its political goal of "one China." In the meantime, the forum is to promote the performance of united front operations on top of criticizing and harming the Taiwanese society. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) explained its policy position on the forum as follows:
1. Prohibiting Straits Forum related events from being held in Taiwan, and hoping against Taiwanese people attending the forum by video. The Straits Forum in essence as part of the CCP’s united front work remains unchanged regardless of their manifestation in person, by video, or by recording. The Mainland is prohibited from holding affiliated or follow-up forum events in Taiwan; local governments, individuals, or groups in Taiwan are banned from co-hosting forum-related activities in Taiwan with the Mainland. The MAC hopes against Taiwanese people attending by video, or resulting in any de facto convention of the forum in Taiwan.
2. Prohibiting central government personnel from participating, discouraging local governments in Taiwan from attending, and calling on civil organizations in Taiwan to not lightly participate. Personnel of central government agencies and their subordinate units are prohibited from attending either physical or virtual events related to the forum. Personnel of local governments are discouraged from participating in related activities. The public and private organizations in Taiwan are advised against lightly participating in related activities.
3. Prohibiting engagement in "democratic consultations" that eliminate ROC sovereignty or promotion of the "one country, two systems model for Taiwan." Any agencies (institutions), individuals, groups, and political parties are prohibited from participating, in any form, in activities related to the "one country, two systems model for Taiwan" or "democratic consultations." The competent authority will handle any violations against not only the Act Governing Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (hereinafter referred to as the "Cross-Strait Act"), Civil Associations Act, and Political Parties Act, but the five national security related laws and the Anti-infiltration Act.
4. The government has completed amendment of the five national security related laws and enacted the Anti-infiltration Act. People in Taiwan are advised to comply with the Cross-Strait Act and related regulations in cross-Strait exchanges to avoid violations of the laws. The government recently completed the amendment of five national security related laws and enacted the Anti-infiltration Act to prevent the CCP's united front infiltration of Taiwan and harm to Taiwan's sovereignty and democracy. The MAC advises people in Taiwan to comply with the Cross-Strait Act and related regulations when conducting cross-Strait exchanges. Furthermore, people in Taiwan are banned from signing documents such as agreements or memoranda with the Mainland without authorization. They are also prohibited from engaging in collaboration or forming alliances against the laws.
The MAC reiterated that it is the government's established policy position to continue the promotion of normal exchanges between people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The government supports cross-Strait exchanges conducted with parity and dignity, compliant with regulations, and not subject to any political preconditions. Regulations related to the forum are consistent with the government’s policy position. The CCP originally planned on vigorously advancing its "one country, two systems model for Taiwan" and "democratic consultations" at the Straits Forum last year, but it ended up a futile attempt due to the government’s early warning for people to take countermeasures. The MAC called on all sectors in Taiwan to refrain from cooperating with the CCP's united front manipulation of Taiwan, and to jointly safeguard the nation's sovereignty, freedom, and democracy.
*The MAC also reminded those who visited the Mainland for exchanges to strictly abide by the quarantine regulations after returning to Taiwan.