Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san has called for cross-strait dialogue in which both sides of the strait are on an equal footing. That came during a presentation Chiu gave Friday on political, economic, and social trends in China.
Chiu’s ministry, the Mainland Affairs Council, is Taiwan’s top China policymaker.
During his presentation, Chiu said that during its work to modernize and strengthen itself, China should also pursue democratic reform and gradually make human rights systematic.
He also referred to President Tsai Ing-wen's National Day speech this year, which she delivered on October 10. In it, Tsai called on Taiwan’s people to renew their commitment to four principles.
These were a commitment to a free and democratic constitutional system, a commitment that Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China should not be subordinate to each other, a commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon Taiwan’s sovereignty, and a commitment that Taiwan’s future must be decided in accordance with the will of the Taiwanese people.
Chiu said that Beijing must understand that these four commitments are the bottom line for Taiwan, and that they are shared broadly across Taiwanese society.
He also said that dialogue held on equal footing is necessary to deal with the gap in systems and values that separates the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. He said that Taiwan’s position to such cross-strait dialogue remains unchanged, and that Taiwan hopes to put aside cross-strait enmity and improve cross-strait ties on the principle of peace.
Chiu also spoke about the government’s plans to loosen restrictions on exchanges with China once the COVID-19 pandemic eases.