MAC Press Release No. 018
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued the following press release in response to the announcement made this evening (April 10, 2023) by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) about having completed its so-called "combat readiness patrol and exercises around Taiwan." The MAC once again expressed condemnation to mainland China for fabricating pretexts to heighten cross-Strait and regional tensions. This irrational military provocation has seriously undermined peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and Indo-Pacific region and sparked international concern.
The MAC emphasized that the Republic of China is a responsible stakeholder of the international community and has always fulfilled our obligations to the world. It is a long-standing practice for our presidents to make transit stops when traveling abroad; it is also our legitimate right to interact with friendly countries. However, the CCP has chosen to use these events as a pretext for targeted military intimidation in an attempt to coerce Taiwan into accepting its political positions. These savage acts have triggered strong antipathy among the people of Taiwan and will not win international support.
Our government stands firm to defend our national sovereignty, maintain security, and uphold the line of defense for freedom and democracy. We will not back down, nor will we give in. Taiwan will continue to cooperate with democratic partners around the world to jointly curb the adventurist and irresponsible military provocations from authoritarian regimes. The MAC called on the CCP authorities to adopt an attitude of rationality, equality, and mutual respect; promptly switch to civilized means to resolve the various cross-Strait differences; and improve cross-Strait relations in a pragmatic manner.