Premier Jiang Yi-huah says that Scotland's upcoming referendum on independence has no bearing on relations between Taiwan and China.
Jiang was responding to questions from Legislator Chiu Chih-wei of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party on Tuesday. Chiu was asking whether the referendum will affect the status quo of “no unification, no independence, and no use of force” between the two sides.
A referendum on whether Scotland should become an independent country will take place on Thursday.
Jiang said that should Scotland become independent from the United Kingdom, it would not have a direct impact on Taiwan. Jiang said that Taiwan does not need a referendum for independence.
“Scotland's relationship to the rest of the United Kingdom is entirely different from that of the Republic of China to the other side of the Taiwan Strait. The ROC is a sovereign independent country, so there is no so-called “independence referendum” [needed] to proclaim its independence again,” said Jiang.
Meanwhile, Chiu asked if it is possible to push for a referendum for unification with China. Jiang said that the Cabinet has never discussed such a referendum and that its stance is to maintain the status quo.