Date: April 15, 2019
MAC Press Release No. 43
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) solemnly protested and strongly condemned mainland China's provocative actions of sending military aircraft to circle the airspace surrounding Taiwan today (April 15, 2019). The MAC stressed that Beijing's recent hard-line offensive against Taiwan is another attempt to redirect internal pressure by manufacturing a crisis in the Taiwan Strait. The Mainland's overbearing actions have seriously damaged cross-Strait peace, impacted Taiwan's national security, and threatened the safety of Taiwanese people’s lives and property. We demand that Beijing immediately stop these malicious provocations and not to make the same mistake. The Mainland also should not underestimate the firm resolve of the government of the Republic of China (ROC) to defend sovereignty, enhance self-defense and safeguard Taiwan's free and democratic system.
In recent years, Mainland military aircraft and navy vessels have frequently use long-distance trainings as an excuse to show up in the vicinity of the Taiwan Strait and to militarily coerce Taiwan. Since the announcement of "Xi's five points" early this year, the Mainland has pressed increasingly harder, including sending fighter jets crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait at the end of March. These actions not only seriously undermined the status quo in the Taiwan Strait and regional security, but have also drawn attention and alarm in the international community. It is thus contemptible to learn that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has audaciously claim to have the legal right to conduct "island encirclement patrols" and that such actions are beneficial for peace of the Taiwan Strait.
In addition, Beijing has recently mobilized Mainland advocates of "unification by force" to visit Taiwan and make malicious remarks intended to shake the Taiwan public's guard. It has reached a point where we believe that accommodation no longer serves the overall interests of the people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In fact, both Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties have come to clear understanding of Beijing's wholeheartedly ambition to annex Taiwan. We will absolutely not yield to the Mainland's military force, nor will we ever acknowledge Beijing's absurd political claims. The entire nation will be on higher alert in the face of this crisis and unite against it.