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China should dismantle missiles pointed at Taiwan: MAC committee

ROC Central News Agency

Taipei, Dec. 26 (CNA) The Consultative Committee of the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said recently that China should, as soon as possible, dismantle its missiles that are pointed at Taiwan and stop boycotting Taiwan's participation in international organizations.

The 169th consultative committee meeting of the MAC on Wednesday agreed that, alongside the recent closer economic ties forged with China, the Taiwan government should also find ways to fight for Taiwan's dignity and international space.

Taiwan should also urge China to take the initiative to show its willingness to further improve the bilateral relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, the committee suggested.

The committee members said that China should understand very well feelings of the Taiwanese people, and in the interest of further promoting positive interaction between the two sides, should remove its missiles that are aimed at Taiwan.

Reports have put the number of ballistic missiles deployed along China's east coast and targeting Taiwan at more than 1,000.

Turning to the recent launch of direct air and shipping links between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, some members of the committee said that the links should not be seen as a panacea for Taiwan's economic woes.

In touting the recent economic cooperative efforts between the

two sides, the Taiwan government should emphasize that they are part of the process of normalizing bilateral cross-strait ties, the committee members advised.

Meanwhile, the ruling party Kuomintang (KMT) and the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) should find ways to resolve their differences and reach some agreement on cross-strait policy, as meaningless debates and accusations between the two parties will neither win the public's support nor serve the best interests of Taiwan, the majority of committee members said.

The committee members urged the MAC not to be swayed by any particular party of interest group, as its role is to serve as a platform for communication and negotiations on cross-strait matters.

However, the MAC also has a role to promote and strengthen interaction between the ruling and opposition parties in order to be able to design proper and unbiased policies in the future, the committee said.

As for the just-concluded forum between the KMT and the Communist Party of China (PCP), the committee members said that was held in a period of transition and that the future necessity of a such a forum should be discussed among the ruling and opposition parties and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

NGOs and academics could also be part of a non-official communication channel between the two sides of the strait, the committee suggested. (By Luis Yu) Enditem/ pc