Official rejects claims of anti-Taiwan sentiment
Print Edition
WHAT some people have taken to be “anti-Taiwan sentiment” on the Chinese mainland is actually a rejection of “Taiwan independence,” An Fengshan, a spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, said yesterday.
He told a press conference that “Taiwan independence” in any form was a flagrant provocation and would sabotage cross-Strait peace and stability.
Responding to a question about a proposal by some Taiwan political parties to challenge the one-China provisions with “constitutional amendments,” An said: “Any attempt to seek secession will be unsuccessful.”
He also rejected a statement by Taiwan’s cross-Strait affairs authority that described the cross-Strait relationship as one between “neighbors.”
“The mainland and Taiwan belong to one China, and compatriots on both sides are a family, not neighbors,” he said.
Asked about a drop in the number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan, An said there had never been a quota.
“Changes in the island’s tourism are mainly due to changes on the island this year. The impact certain events have had on cross-Strait ties has been felt by the market,” he said.
He said the mainland would continue to enhance cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation for the interests and welfare of people on both sides.
An said that a Kuomintang Party youth-wing delegation would be visiting the mainland next week to discuss cross-Strait exchanges.
During its tour, the delegation is expected to meet Zhang Zhijun, head of the Communist Party’s Taiwan Work Office.
Mainland authorities have also decided to add six mainland bases for cultural exchanges with visitors from Taiwan, bringing the total on the mainland to 49, An said.
However, he stressed, cross-Strait communication, dialogue, and exchanges must be based on the recognition of the 1992 Consensus and the one-China principle.
“So far, the island’s new leader has adopted an ambiguous attitude toward the nature of relations between the mainland and Taiwan. To ensure the peaceful development of cross-Strait ties, confirmation of the one-China principle is a must,” he said.
An reiterated that principle when answering questions about an upcoming visit by Taiwan’s new leader Tsai Ing-wen to Panama and about a recent report that Chen Chu, mayor of Taiwan’s Kaohsiung, had expressed a willingness to visit the mainland.
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