The Chinese communist regime must recognize that Taiwan is not a part of China and handle cross-Strait disputes with respect and fairness, the Taiwanese Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Sunday.
The MAC made the remarks after outgoing Chinese premier Li Keqiang pledged to advance “peaceful reunification” with Taiwan while taking “resolute steps” to oppose Taiwan’s independence.
At the National People’s Congress, Li said that Beijing should improve its policies that contribute to the well-being of Taiwan as the people “on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family bound by blood.”
The MAC, which is responsible for cross-Strait policies, later responded by saying that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) should “face up to the fact that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not subordinate to each other.”
It urged the CCP to respect the Taiwanese people’s commitment to upholding the sovereignty, democracy, and freedom of their island nation, according to a statement.
The MAC also called on Beijing to handle cross-Strait affairs pragmatically “in a rational, equal, practical, and mutually respectful manner” so as to foster positive interaction between the two sides.
Taiwan has been a self-governing democracy since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949. Still, Beijing regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary.
Last year, the CCP staged war games around Taiwan in retaliation for then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s controversial visit, which the CCP said violated the “One China” policy.
Taiwan Warns of ‘Sudden Entry’ by CCP Military
Taiwanese Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng has warned that the CCP military might make a “sudden entry” into Taiwan’s contiguous zone this year as Taiwan bolsters its military exchanges with the United States.
“Looking forward, they would use force if they really have to,” Chiu told Parliament on Monday, Reuters reported.
