Shen Yu-chung: Issue of Taiwan Independence Does Not Exist, ROC Established 115 Years Ago

(CNA, Taipei, May 18, reporter Lu Chia-jung) Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Shen Yu-chung stated today that for the Republic of China (ROC), the issue of "Taiwan independence" does not exist, because the ROC was established 115 years ago and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China. This, he said, is the status quo that must be strived for. Tunghai University's Center for China's Cross-Strait and Regional Development held a seminar in Taipei today on the "Prospects for Cross-Strait Relations after the Trump-Xi Meeting," where Shen spoke to the media before the event. Regarding the recent discussions on the meaning of Taiwan independence, Shen said that the definition is very broad. Beijing's definition of Taiwan independence is "not accepting unification, delaying unification," while according to the government's understanding, US President Trump's version of Taiwan independence likely refers to de jure independence, meaning the declaration of a new country. Shen then explained that for the Republic of China, the issue of Taiwan independence does not exist. The main reason is that the Republic of China was established 115 years ago and is not subordinate to the People's Republic of China. "This is the status quo we must strive for," he said. The government hopes that Taiwan and the United States share a common interest in maintaining the status quo and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Furthermore, the world does not wish to see the status quo in the Taiwan Strait unilaterally changed by force. Shen also emphasized that the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and Taiwan is not part of the People's Republic of China; these are all objective facts. The government remains committed to the "Four Persistences," insisting on a free and democratic constitutional system, the inviolability of national sovereignty, and that Taiwan's future must be decided by its 23 million people. As for how to interpret the "constructive and strategic stable relationship between the US and China"? Shen said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) constructs various relationships with different countries around the world, and usually, what the CCP says it wants is what it lacks. Therefore, perhaps in the past few years, US-China relations have lacked constructiveness and have been strategically unstable, and the current idea of a constructive and strategic stable relationship appears to be just a framework. Shen stated that if matters related to the national security of the Republic of China are involved, the government will maintain communication with the US side and also with other democratic countries to ensure the security of national sovereignty. (Editor: Chiu Kuo-chiang) 1150518