Tunghai University's China Research Center to Hold Symposium on China's Forced Unification Agenda

(Central News Agency, reporter Lu Jiarong, Taipei, June 10) After the Xi-Trump meeting, US-China-Taiwan relations have once again drawn international attention. Tunghai University's Mainland China and Regional Development Research Center will hold a symposium titled 'Taiwan Has No 'Independence' Issue, Only a 'Being Unified' Issue' at 3 PM on June 11 in Taipei, focusing on the impact of China's forcibly set unification agenda on Taiwan's future.

Tunghai University's China Research Center Director Lin Tzu-li stated today that for a long time, external discussions on cross-strait issues have focused on 'whether Taiwan will declare independence.' However, from a realistic perspective, the Republic of China government has continuously existed since 1949, and Taiwan possesses a complete government structure, democratic system, military, judiciary, and foreign trade capabilities.

In contrast, China has been promoting its unification process through military deterrence, diplomatic pressure, legal warfare, and gray-zone operations in recent years. Therefore, the question worth considering now is not just 'whether to be independent,' but also 'how to understand the impact of the unification agenda on Taiwan's future.'

This symposium will re-examine the changes in the US-China-Taiwan triangular relationship after the Xi-Trump meeting and the actual content of the US status quo policy from perspectives including international politics, international law, strategic security, and cross-strait relations. It will also discuss what kind of status quo the international community's emphasis on 'peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait' is actually maintaining, and the target and implications of opposing unilateral changes to the status quo.

The symposium will be moderated by Lin Tzu-li, with a speech by Mainland Affairs Council Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung. Panelists include Professor Tsai Jung-hsiang from National Chung Cheng University's Department of Political Science, Professor Chen Shih-min from National Taiwan University's Department of Political Science, Chair Professor Yeh Yao-yuan from the University of St. Thomas in the US, Assistant Professor Wu Kuan-sheng from the University of South Alabama's Department of Criminology and Political Science, and Hung Pu-chao, Deputy Executive Director of Tunghai University's China Research Center. They will engage in in-depth exchange and discussion on the current cross-strait situation and the development of cross-strait relations.

Tunghai University's China Research Center pointed out that amidst the rapid changes in the international order and regional security environment, understanding the status quo of the Taiwan Strait, the free choices of a democratic society, and the possible future direction of cross-strait relations has become an important issue that Taiwanese society must face. It hopes to deepen society's understanding of the Taiwan Strait status quo, cross-strait relations, and regional security situation through dialogue between academia and the public sphere. (Editor: Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150610