Taiwan stands firm against ‘one country, two systems’ as Xi Jinping renews calls for unification
- Taipei says system used in Hong Kong would never be accepted on the island
- Opposition KMT says ruling DPP must take some blame for cross-strait stalemate
In a statement issued on Tuesday in response to Xi’s National Day address, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council urged Beijing to understand that the self-ruled island had never been a part of the People’s Republic and that Taipei would never approve of one country, two systems.
“For the past 108 years, the Republic of China has remained a sovereign state that has pursued democracy and economic prosperity. The Chinese communist authorities must accept the international reality that Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic since its formation [in 1949],” the council said.
“[Beijing’s] one country, two systems proposal for managing cross-strait relations is not applicable in Taiwan and will never be accepted by the Taiwanese people.”
It said the Chinese Communist Party had exercised one-party totalitarian rule for 70 years, ignoring the people’s wish for freedom, democracy and human rights.
Beijing was using the excuse of cross-strait unification to expand its military influence and ambition, seriously threatening regional stability, it said, as it called on Beijing to promote democracy for the sake of its people.
