CHINA POLICY:The president said that over the past eight years, a ‘status quo’ for the cross-strait relationship has been created, winning ‘the support of the majority’

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 27, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview released yesterday that both he and

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) are well aware that the conditions for the unification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are lacking at present.

In an interview with CNN reporter Christiane Amanpour, Ma said that China certainly desires unification and has never given up on the idea, according to a Chinese-language transcript released by the Presidential Office.

However, China is willing to develop relations with Taiwan peacefully on the basis of the so-called “1992 consensus” of “one China, different interpretations” because it knows that pushing for immediate unification would not achieve good results and would even have serious consequences, Ma said.

Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up the term “1992 consensus” in 2000.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/23
By: Feng Chao and Elaine Hou

Boao, China March 23 (CNA) China’s top negotiator with Taiwan said

Wednesday that the issue of what name should be used by Taiwan to participate in the Beijing-initiated Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is now “under discussion.”

Chen Deming (陳德銘), head of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, said Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has made it clear that Beijing would welcome Taiwan’s participation in the AIIB.

“The name under which Taiwan would participate is under discussion,” Chen said in response to reporters’ questions on the sidelines of the Boao Forum for Asia, in the Chinese province of Hainan.

On the question of the progress of two pending cross-Taiwan Strait trade agreements, Chen said Taiwan first has to deal with the enactment of a bill to allow stricter screening of agreements with China.     [FULL  STORY]

China’s President Warns Taiwan Against Moves Toward Independence
US Commander: China Seeking to Control East Asia

Reuters
Date: March 10, 2016

BEIJING—
Taiwan president-elect TsaiIng-wen must “prove” her Democratic Progressive

Party (DPP) is not pro-independence before Beijing will deal with her, a senior member of China’s largely rubber stamp parliament said on Thursday.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan a wayward province, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. Defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after the Chinese civil war.

Beijing has repeatedly warned against any moves towards independence since January’s landslide win by Tsai and her DPP in presidential and parliamentary elections. Tsai assumes office in May.

While the DPP’s charter calls for the island’s formal independence, senior DPP leaders have not publicly stated that clause of late and Tsai has said she wishes to have peace with China and to maintain the status quo.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/10
By: Chen Chia-lun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 10 (CNA) Is China reducing its “tourist quota” for Taiwan? A Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official said March 20 will be “a day to watch.”

MAC Chief Secretary Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿) said Thursday from Jan. 1 to March 8, Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan have increased by 8.9 percent from the same period of last year while those applying to come have fallen by 1.45 percent.

Chinese “group” tourists are usually busy on their way to Taiwan before March 30 while “independent” ones pack Taiwan tourism spots by March 23.

In reply to media questions of whether Beijing will drastically cut from 47 to four the number of cities authorized to send tourists across the Taiwan Strait, Yang said rumors to that effect have been swirling for three months.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-03-05
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In his first comments on Taiwan since Democratic Progressive Party Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen’s presidential election victory, China’s President Xi Jinping on Saturday emphasized the role of the “1992 Consensus” and condemned Taiwan Independence.

His comments, in a meeting on the margin of the National People’s Congress, indicated that China was not planning to change its policies because of the change in government in Taiwan.

The “1992 Consensus” was and would remain the political basis for continuing the peaceful development of relations with Taiwan, Xi was quoted as saying. If both sides recognized the historical fact of the consensus, positive bilateral relations would be possible, he said.     [FULL  STORY]

‘CHINESE SOVEREIGNTY’:Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said China would ‘oppose separatist activities,’ and spoke of people on both sides as ‘the same family’

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 06, 2016
By: Loa Iok-sin and Abraham Gerber / Staff reporters, with AFP, BEIJING

Politicians in Taiwan backed the “status quo” yesterday after Beijing stepped

up its rhetoric against Taiwanese independence, with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (李克強) warning against “separatist activities” and pledging to safeguard China’s “territorial integrity.”

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) played down Li’s remarks that a peaceful and stable relationship across the Taiwan Strait should be developed under the so-called “1992 consensus” and that both sides are “part of one big family.”

“The DPP’s cross-strait policy is to maintain the status quo as president-elect Tsai [Ing-wen, 蔡英文] proposed,” DPP spokesperson Wang Min-sheng (王閔生) said.

“This is not only in line with mainstream public opinion in Taiwan, but would also maintain regional stability,” Wang said.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/03/03
By: Chen Chia-lun and S.C. Chang

Taipei, March 3 (CNA) Taiwan urged China to look at the Constitution of the Republic of China in a practical manner, noting that the government’s China policy has always been made based on the “one China (ROC), two areas” principle

Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿), chief secretary of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), made the statement in response to a high-level policy report by Beijing stating that it will insist on continuing to promote the peaceful development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations based on the political foundation of the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwan independence.

The 1992 consensus refers to a tacit agreement between Taipei and Beijing that there is only one China, with both sides free to interpret what “one China” means. For Taiwan, that “one China” is the Republic of China that was formed in 1912, the first democratic republic in Asia, but was relocated to Taiwan in 1949.     [FULL  STORY]

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/02/27
By: Hsieh Chia-chen and Elaine Hou

Taipei, Feb. 27 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has responded

positively to remarks by China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi (王毅) on cross-Taiwan Strait issues and the hope that Taiwan’s new elected leader will respect Taiwan’s “one China” Constitution.

Ma felt that if Beijing is willing to face squarely the Republic of China (Taiwan) Constitution, it will be conducive to the peaceful development of cross-strait ties, said Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信) Saturday.

The “1992 consensus,” or “one China, different interpretations,” that has underpinned ties with China during the Ma administration is based on the definition of cross-strait relations under the ROC Constitution, Chen said.     [FULL  STORY]

MILITARIZATION?Beijing attempted to downplay the deployment on Woody Island, saying that Western media were playing the ‘same old tune’ about a ‘China threat’

Taipei Times
Date: Feb 19, 2016
By: William Lowther / Staff reporter in Washington, with Agencies

China confirmed that it has weapons on a disputed island in the South China

Sea, state media said yesterday, as US Secretary of State John Kerry slammed Beijing for “militarization” of the strategically vital region.

The US broadcaster Fox News on Tuesday reported that a privately owned satellite company had provided images that appeared to show two batteries of eight surface-to-air missile launchers and a radar system had been installed on Woody Island (Yongxing Island, 永興島) — one of the Paracel Islands (Xisha Islands, 西沙群島) — earlier this month.

Pentagon officials say the pictures are authentic, and Ministry of National Defense spokesman Major General David Lo (羅紹和) on Wednesday said that Taipei is closely monitoring developments.

Taiwan, China and Vietnam claim all or part of the Paracel Islands.
The Chinese Ministry of National Defense yesterday confirmed that “China has deployed weapons on the island for a long time,” reported the Global Times newspaper, which has close ties to the Chinese Communist Party.     [FULL  STORY]