President Ma Ying-jeou travelled to Kinmen island on the morning of August 23 (the 53rd anniversary of the August 23 Artillery War) to attend ROC Centennial Peace Day ceremonies. In prepared remarks, he stressed that under the framework of the ROC Constitution, the government has used the "1992 Consensus" and the "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" policy as the foundation from which to effectively reduce tensions between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and solidify the basis for long-lasting peace between the two sides. The president said this is also important in our efforts to achieve generational justice and create a peaceful environment for the next generation.
Prior to delivering his address, President Ma joined with Frederik Willem de Klerk (1993 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of South Africa) and Song Kosal (a youth ambassador from the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997) to ring the "peace bell."
In his address, the president remarked that today marks the 53rd anniversary of the August 23 Artillery War of Kinmen. Beginning 53 years ago today, he said, mainland China fired more than 470,000 shells at Kinmen island over a period of more than 40 days, meaning that on average nearly four shells rained down on every square meter of Kinmen. Over 2,000 soldiers and civilians were killed or wounded in the bombardment, but 53 years later the Kinmen of today is entirely different, the president remarked, describing the offshore island as having been transformed from the "killing fields" of the past into an "avenue of peace" between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. On average, there are some 3,600 trips each day between Kinmen and mainland China, or more than 1.3 million trips annually. Kinmen has now become a hub for the mini three links between the two sides, which the president said was entirely inconceivable in the past.
Today, during the ROC's centennial year, a peace bell has been cast from the cannon shells fired in the battle of 1958, he said. It was decided to hold a ceremony to pray for peace by ringing the bell in Kinmen, which was razed by the war, the president said, expressing his hope that the scars of war can be transformed by the sound of peace. This is something that the entire world can hear, he stated, emphasizing the significance of the event.
In fact, the president said, after the August 23 Artillery War in 1958 the government decided to handle cross-strait relations via a policy that was "three parts military, seven parts political." This strategy, he said, not only fostered peace between the two sides, but also provided the opportunity for the ROC government to focus on developing Taiwan, which paved the way for the economic and political miracles subsequently achieved here.
President Ma stated that peace in the Taiwan Strait is critical to Taiwan's prosperity and stability. He recalled that Taiwan 11 years ago experienced a change in the governing party for the first time. At the time, then President Chen Shui-bian unveiled the "Four No's plus One" policy and advocated "cross-strait integration." These policies generated high expectations among people with regard to cross-strait peace, he said. Ultimately, however, the objectives of the policies were not achieved, the president noted. The government at that time, he said, not only denied the "1992 Consensus" reached between both sides, but also advocated the "one country on each side" philosophy. The government then conducted "scorched earth diplomacy," causing tensions between the two sides to rise and generating security concerns in the Taiwan Strait, he said. In the international community, the president remarked, Taiwan continued to be isolated.
However, President Ma said that after taking office in May 2008 he immediately advocated a policy of pragmatism that would be to Taiwan's benefit. Under the framework of the ROC Constitution, the government would seek to maintain the status quo through a policy of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force " in the Taiwan Strait. In addition, the government looked to the "1992 Consensus" to serve as the basis from which to promote the development of peace between the two sides, he said. As of today, the two sides have signed a total of 15 agreements, he pointed out. Consequently, the people of the two sides are enjoying the benefits of vibrant relations, the president said.
The meaning of the "1992 Consensus" is "one China, respective interpretations," the president explained. To us, "one China" means the Republic of China as defined in the Constitution, he said. Our support for the "1992 Consensus" is support for the ROC and support for the sovereignty, territory, and the status of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait as set forth in the Constitution, he stated.
President Ma remarked that the ROC Constitution has been revised seven times since the ROC government relocated to Taiwan, with some articles in the document revised and other articles added. However, four presidents have served over the past 20 years, and no changes have been made to the Constitution during this period concerning territory, sovereignty, and the status of the two sides. This was the joint decision of the members of the National Assembly, who were elected irrespective of political affiliation by the people of Taiwan, the president said. Similarly, the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement is an established fact, and we should not only support the agreement, but also abide by its contents, he explained.
"No unification, no independence, and no use of force" is the fundamental principle under which the government currently handles cross-strait relations, he said. "No unification" means that discussions about unification will not take place. In other words, he said, it means that during his tenure as president, we will not be broaching the topic of unification with mainland China, he said. "No independence," the president remarked, means that Taiwan will not go the route of Taiwan independence and that the government will oppose de jure independence for Taiwan. "No use of force" means just that, the president noted, saying that Taiwan opposes the use of military force in the Taiwan Strait to settle disputes between the two sides. Over the past three-plus years, the "three no's" policy has effectively maintained peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and has won the broad support of the Taiwan public and the international community. On the other hand, if the policies of "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" and the "1992 Consensus" were subverted, cross-strait relations would undoubtedly fall into a state of uncertainty. This would deal a significant blow to both sides and have an enormous impact on Taiwan, the president stated.
We know, President Ma commented, that peace between the two sides has just begun to take hold and that the basis of mutual trust is still fragile. The two sides need to work over a longer period of time to build trust, he said. At the same time, peace cannot just be something that we simply wish for, he mentioned, adding that we need to maintain a strong national defense and acquire weapons required to ensure our security. This is necessary to ensure our defensive capabilities and foster peace, the president said.
The president said that experience over the past three-plus years has shown us that our embrace of the "1992 Consensus" and the "no unification, no independence, and no use of force" principles under the framework of the ROC Constitution have effectively reduced tension between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and solidified the foundation for long-lasting cross-strait peace. This is crucial to the achievement of generational justice, he said, adding that we must create a peaceful environment for the next generation. In conducting cross-strait relations, we will always abide by the policy of "putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people," President Ma said. The ROC, he added, will never yield on the issues of sovereignty and dignity, which shows that the existing pragmatic policies can maintain peace and prosperity in the Taiwan Strait without sacrificing the dignity and interests of Taiwan.
Today is August 23 in the 100th year of the Republic of China, the president said. The ROC and the entire international community have enormous expectations for peace in the Taiwan Strait and hope that peace will be long-lasting and that guns will forever be silent, he commented.
After ringing the peace bell, the president said that he wished for cross-strait peace and for world peace. We deeply hope that the ringing of the peace bell will pave the way for a new era in the pursuit of peace, he remarked.
【Source: Office of the President】