Taiwan's attitude toward cross-Strait ties must be clarified

Source:Xinhua Published: 2016-5-26 0:13:01

‘Taiwan independence’ efforts will reach a dead end


The Chinese mainland said Wednesday Taiwan's new leader Tsai Ing-wen must, without any equivocation, clarify her stance on cross-Straits ties.

Ma Xiaoguang, spokesperson of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, said at a regular press conference that Taiwan must clarify this issue with practical action and allow the examination of the people and history.

In her inaugural address Friday, the new Taiwan leader chose to be ambiguous, despite cross-Straits relations being of utmost concern to the people on both sides of the Taiwan Straits, Ma said.

Tsai did not explicitly recognize the 1992 Consensus and offered no concrete proposal to ensure the peaceful and stable growth of cross-Straits relations, he said.

"The issue is a question that must be answered - it cannot be avoided," said Ma.

Ma said the mainland opposes all separatist activities advocating "Taiwan independence" in the name of "law amendments."

"No one shall test our resolution and capacity to safeguard our national sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.

Ma praised the years after 2008 as being the "best setting" for cross-Straits relations since 1949. With the common political foundation of the 1992 Consensus, cross-Straits affairs authorities from both sides have signed 23 agreements since 2008, when a regular communication mechanism was established, which have facilitated cross-Straits cooperation in all areas and benefited people from both sides.

But Ma warned that only the affirmation of the political foundation that embodies the one-China principle can ensure continued and institutionalized exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

He went on to stress that the one-China principle should also be safeguarded with regard to Taiwan's participation in regional economic cooperation.

"[Without the one-China principle,] there would be no political trust and adverse consequences are sure to follow," Ma told reporters. "Attempts to engage in separatist activities for 'Taiwan independence', or pursue 'two Chinas' or 'one China, one Taiwan' will without doubt reach a dead end."

Also on Wednesday, foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying expressed firm opposition to separatist propositions of "Taiwan independence."

According to media reports, Tsai referred to the island's new representative to the US as "ambassador" on Monday.

In both diplomatic practice and international law, only sovereign entities, which Taiwan is not, send "ambassadors" to foreign countries.

Taiwan can only have unofficial relations with the United States, so the status of its agencies in the United States and those in charge is very clear, Hua said.



Posted in: HK/Macao/Taiwan

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