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'Anti-Secession' Law an obstacle to
relations: MAC
By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Friday, Aug 06, 2010, Page 1
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday called on China
to review its ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ Law targeting Taiwan, which the council described
as ¡§something unnecessary¡¨ in cross-strait relations.
The law is impeding the development of ties between Taipei and Beijing, MAC
Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (¼B¼w¾±) said.
¡§With the two sides having built a communication platform and accumulated more
mutual trust, there is a need to review the law,¡¨ Liu told a press conference.
He made the remarks in response to a press query as to whether MAC Chairwoman
Lai Shin-yuan (¿à©¯´D) was referring to China¡¦s ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ Law when on
Wednesday she urged Beijing to abolish policies and laws concerning military
deployments targeting Taiwan.
Beijing enacted the ¡§Anti-Secession¡¨ Law on March 14, 2005, authorizing the
Chinese military to take Taiwan via ¡§non-peaceful¡¨ means if Taiwan made moves
toward de jure independence.
While giving a speech at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington on
Wednesday, Lai said Beijing has been pushing for military and political
negotiations after the two sides signed the Economic Cooperation Framework
Agreement (ECFA) in June.
The timing and conditions, however, were not ripe for such talks, she said.
¡§One side cannot coerce the other to cooperate simply because it unilaterally
decides the matter is urgent,¡¨ she said.
Lai said China¡¦s military buildup and its ¡§policy of taking Taiwan by force¡¨
were ¡§obstacles¡¨ that must be removed if cross-strait relations were to move
forward.
She emphasized that the steadfast support of the US for the development of
cross-strait ties served as a robust boost to Taiwan¡¦s efforts to improve
cross-strait relations.
She also urged Washington to continue providing the necessary weapons to Taiwan
according to the Taiwan Relations Act.
Regarding signing free-trade agreements (FTAs) with other countries, Lai said
that many countries and trading partners have recently expressed ¡§strong
interest¡¨ in signing FTAs after Taipei and Beijing inked the ECFA.
Lai said that Taiwan¡¦s democracy and economic power played an essential role in
cross-strait negotiations and regional harmony.
The ¡§Taiwan experience¡¨ and Taiwan¡¦s soft power were vital bargaining chips when
negotiating with China and key factors driving China¡¦s economic and social
transformation, she said. She urged the international community, especially the
US, to value Taiwan¡¦s influence in this regard and strengthen substantive
relations and bilateral dialogue on the development of cross-strait ties and
regional security.
Lai is scheduled to return to Taiwan on Sunday.
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