The Executive Yuan on Wednesday stated that the citizens of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will accept neither the "one-China principle" nor the "one country, two systems" policy, and that there exists no "1992 consensus" between Taiwan and China. Any negotiations between the two sides must be conducted under the oversight of the nation's 23 million citizens, as only they can decide Taiwan's future.
The Executive Yuan noted that Chinese leader Xi Jinping has on many occasions voiced his desire to see Taiwan "peacefully reunified" with the mainland, and declared that Taipei and Beijing should work together to advance peace, progress and partnership. The reality, however, is that China has never renounced the use of force against Taiwan, and in fact has seized every opportunity to constrain Taiwan's room for maneuver, undercut its standing on the global stage, impugn the good intentions underlying people-to-people exchanges, and twist the Taiwanese public's recognition of land and heritage.
Beijing has even gone so far as to interfere in the private sphere, forcing international airline companies and non-governmental organizations from around the world to conform with China's naming conventions and meddling in the free-market competition at the heart of private enterprise. Such behavior will only sharpen opposition and harden hearts among the good people of Taiwan.
President Tsai Ing-wen has outlined four basic principles for promoting positive relations with China, the Executive Yuan continued. China must face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China (Taiwan); it must respect the commitment of the 23 million people of Taiwan to freedom and democracy; it must handle cross-strait differences peacefully, on a basis of equality; and it must be governments or government-authorized agencies that engage in negotiations.
The Executive Yuan calls on the Chinese government to draw close and learn from Taiwan's freedom and democracy, and abandon any preconditions to talks. This is the only path to building mutual understanding and friendly interactions between the peoples of China and Taiwan.