Taipei, Sept 29:
Taiwan rejected statements by Chinese President Xi Jinping on Taiwan during his recent US visit, asserting that the Republic of China (ROC) is a sovereign state and that the ROC and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are not subordinate to each other.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan’s top body dealing with cross-Strait affairs, said Beijing’s statements and what it described as distorted historical narratives could not change the existing reality across the Taiwan Strait. It said Taiwan would continue to maintain the status quo and safeguard the right of its people to determine their future.
The MAC said Beijing was using US-China interactions to advance its position on Taiwan and link the issue to strategic stability between Washington and Beijing. Taipei said such stability should not be used to justify changing the situation across the Taiwan Strait.
The council also accused Beijing of increasing pressure on Taiwan through military aircraft, naval vessels and law-enforcement patrols, including in waters east of the island. It said such activities were contributing to tensions in the region.
On World War II history, the MAC said the PRC was established only in 1949 and therefore did not exist during the war. It said the ROC government represented China during the conflict and fought alongside the United States and other Allied powers against Japan. The council also pointed to the later Korean War, when Chinese forces fought alongside North Korea against US-led UN forces.
Taipei said its cross-Strait policy remained unchanged, with the government committed to maintaining the status quo and safeguarding what it described as the right of Taiwan’s 23 million people to determine their future.
China regards Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes moves towards formal Taiwan independence. Taiwan’s government maintains that the PRC has never governed the island. The two sides have remained politically divided since the Chinese Civil War, with Taiwan operating under its own elected government, military and institutions.
Meanwhile, Stephen Hsu, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center (TECC), said the latest statements surrounding Taiwan during the China-US summit highlighted the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Hsu said UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 should not be interpreted as having any bearing on Taiwan or as a basis for excluding Taiwan from the UN system or other international organisations.
“Neither the ROC (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is subordinate to the other,” Hsu said, describing this as the objective status quo across the Taiwan Strait. He said political rhetoric or unilateral assertions could not change it.
Hsu said Taiwan’s democratically elected government had the right to represent its people in international organisations. He called for differences to be addressed peacefully and pragmatically, without coercion, intimidation or attempts to change the status quo by force.
Taiwan, he said, remained committed to maintaining the status quo, safeguarding democracy and freedom, and contributing to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. He also called for continued international support for dialogue and peaceful engagement across the Taiwan Strait.