Date: March 9, 2019
MAC Press Release No. 31
Today (March 9, 2019), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement on the 60th anniversary of the Tibetan Uprising against China’s rule:
Mainland China should be more humbel and receptive, govern with benevolence and righteousness, be tolerant toward Tibetans and people of all ethnic groups, and respect diverse opinions and cultures. Only by doing so can it avoid repeating the unfortunate history and truly win the hearts and minds of the people.
Taiwanese government has long been concerned about the situation in Tibet. In recent years, although the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has claimed to have raised the Tibetan people’s standard of living through improved economic conditions, people’s livelihoods and infrastructure, the Tibetan people have continued to suffer from forced patriotic indoctrination, political suppression, and interference in their religious beliefs. This has always been of great concern to the international community. The CCP has proposed to uphold the principle of “respect differences and tolerate diversity” when engaging with all ethnic groups. We hope that Beijing will face the significance and lessons learned from the Tibetan Uprising by ensuring Tibetans’ human rights and their freedom of thought, speech, and religion, as well as responding to relevant demands in a peaceful and rational manner. The CCP should strive to heal historical wounds and fissures among ethnic groups, in order to create a more civilized, harmonious, and stable country and society.
Although the CCP and Tibet had signed a so-called "peace treaty" in 1951, there has been repeated repression by force in Tibet. Tibet’s freedom ranking has been lowest among the international society. All of these not only confirm the essence of CCP's autocracy, but also highlight the precious value of Taiwan’s democracy and freedom. We stress that Mainland China’s deceptive behavior can never bring true peace and hope it soon seeks reforms of its policies and behavior in order to promote peaceful development across the Taiwan Strait.