ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said Oct. 20 that approval through referendum would have to be obtained before the government would consider pushing for a peace agreement with mainland China.
“A referendum, along with opinion polls and a legislative resolution, is a way to confirm whether there is strong public support on the issue,” Ma said.
The president reiterated that his government would only cautiously consider pushing for a cross-strait peace pact when such a move has strong public support, meets the actual needs of the country and can be supervised by the Legislature.
“There is no timetable for signing a cross-strait peace accord and if we fail to meet any of the prerequisites, the government would never consider doing so,” Ma said.
It would be perfectly fine to shelve the proposal after 10 years time if there is no consensus, according to Ma, who stressed that he was only asking the public to think about this issue, which Taiwan will inevitably have to face in the next decade.
The president’s remarks came in a news conference at the Presidential Office with Vice President Vincent C. Siew, Premier Wu Den-yih and Mainland Affairs Council Minister Lai Shin-yuan in attendance.
Ma raised the possibility of a cross-strait peace pact Oct. 17 in a news conference outlining the final part of his 10-year plan for the country, contending that a peace agreement with mainland China would ensure long-term stability across the Taiwan Strait, which is essential for Taiwan’s sustainable development.
Opposition Democratic Progressive Party Chairwomen Tsai Ing-wen, who is running against Ma in the presidential election set for January, charged Oct. 19 that Ma’s proposed peace accord was very dangerous and a step towards unification.
Citing as an example mainland China’s 17-point agreement on the peaceful liberation of Tibet signed in 1951, Tsai said Ma’s proposal could endanger Taiwan’s sovereignty and hard-won democracy, alter the cross-strait status quo and undercut the nation’s strategic position.
The president said Tsai’s comparison of Taiwan to Tibet was inappropriate and seriously belittling to the ROC, as the 1951 agreement was a pact between a central government and local administration.
Ma pointed out that since taking office in 2008, his administration has upheld the ROC’s sovereignty under the framework of the Constitution and the principle of no unification, no independence and no use of force.
A step-by-step approach has also been adopted in dealing with cross-strait relations by putting economics before politics and dealing with issues that are urgent or easily resolved prior to those that are less urgent and more difficult, he added.
These principles, which have been outlined in his 10-year plan, will remain the pivotal guidelines for cross-strait exchanges, Ma said. (THN)
Write to Rachel Chan at rachelchan@mail.gio.gov.tw