Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

MAC rejects Hu's offer of peace talks under 'one China' principle

ROC Central News Agency

2008-03-05 17:44:59

    Taipei, March 6 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Wednesday rejected Chinese President Hu Jintao's offer the previous day for broad cross-strait peace talks under the "one China" principle, reiterating that Taiwan is an independent and sovereign country.

    The Taiwanese government office in charge of policies concerning mainland China made the remarks in a statement rejecting the "one China" precondition for the holding of such talks.

    In the statement, the MAC said that Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to the 23 million citizens of the country and urged China to "pragmatically face the fact that neither side of the Taiwan Strait is subordinate to the other."

    It further said that Hu's insistence on the "one China" principle is an impractical political slogan that basically obscures the facts, offers nothing new, and is of no help in settling the political standoff between the two sides of the strait. "Under the strategic framework of the one China principle, Beijing has attempted via all levels of cross-strait exchanges and international activities to weaken and eventually extinguish the Republic of China," the MAC said.

    The council further said that the government absolutely rejects Beijing's unilateral "one China" policy as a precondition for cross-strait talks and will never accept the holding of such talks on an unequal basis.

    While offering to hold cross-strait peace talks, President Hu also said that moves toward Taiwan independence pose the greatest threat to peace between the two sides and would only end in disaster.

    In its statement Wednesday, the MAC said Beijing's threats against Taiwan ahead of the upcoming presidential election are further proof of its attempts to obscure the facts in the Taiwan Strait and to mislead the international community about the domestic situation in Taiwan. "The Chinese leader's comments yesterday will only have a negative effect on the development of cross relations and interactions," the MAC said.

    The council urged China to immediately put a stop to its military intimation against Taiwan and its efforts to suppress the island in the international community and to pragmatically accept the existence of the Republic of China.

    It also urged Beijing to restart cross-strait talks on all issues as soon as possible and to not misjudge public opinion in Taiwan or to attempt to interfere in or undermine the country's democratic process. "Otherwise, Beijing will have to take full responsibility for the consequences of its mistaken policies and actions," the MAC said.

(By Steve Bercic)

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