President Ma Ying-jeou says that even though there has been real progress in relations with China, that does not mean Taiwan can let down its guard. His comments came during a military commissioning ceremony on Thursday.
President Ma’s remarks follow closely on the heels of a meeting between the two officials who oversee relations between Taiwan and China. Chinese official Zhang Zhijun, who is the head of the Taiwan Affairs Office, is currently in Taiwan on a groundbreaking visit. He met on Wednesday with his Taiwanese counterpart, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi.
President Ma said that despite the progress in ties, Taiwan’s military must remain vigilant.
“The two officials in charge of cross-strait relations have already held formal talks, and have called one another by their official titles, a sign that real progress has been made in cross-strait relations," said Ma.
"But to this day, the PRC has made no changes to its military deployment in the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, our military cannot let down its guard.”
President Ma has said that defense cannot rely solely on force, it requires strategy, which includes normalizing cross-strait relations.
Meanwhile, President Ma also responded on Thursday to a report in Forbes Magazine which quoted a Chinese official as saying that China’s 1.3 billion people should all have a say in the future of Taiwan.
Ma said that the topic is sensitive, and that Chinese officials need to do more homework. The president said that the official was giving the traditional perspective of the PRC without realizing that Taiwan finds it unacceptable.
President Ma said that Mainland China has allotted a considerable amount of funds and manpower to research Taiwan, and that many Chinese organizations have sent people to learn more. But he said that more understanding is needed to convince the people of Taiwan that China does not pose a threat.