Taiwan government rejects Xi's 'one country, two systems'

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) As Beijing celebrated its National Day on Tuesday, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reiterated that Taiwan has never been part of China and rejects the "one country, two systems" framework proposed by Beijing as a future path for cross-strait relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on Tuesday reaffirmed the "one country, two systems" policy for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan as he reviewed a military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Tiananmen Square.

Xi vowed that China would continue its struggle for the "full reunification" of the country, a statement directed at Taiwan.

Responding to Xi's statement, the MAC reiterated on Tuesday that Taiwan has never been part of the PRC and noted that the Republic of China (ROC), the official name of Taiwan, exists as a sovereign state and has its own democratic system of government.

The MAC, a cabinet-level agency that handles Taiwan's relations with mainland China, said the "one country, two systems" framework is not suitable for Taiwan-China relations and reiterated that the Taiwanese people will never accept it.

It criticized the Chinese Communist Party for governing China in a way that does not value democracy, freedom and human rights, urging Beijing to push for democratic reforms as Taiwan has done over the past three decades.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and opposition KMT both reacted to Xi's remarks on China's National Day.

DPP spokesperson Hsueh Cheng-yi (薛呈懿) said in a press statement that Taiwan has its own democratic system and Xi's unilateral attempt to impose Beijing's political will on Taiwan is unacceptable.

China's "verbal intimidation and saber rattling" under the guise of "peaceful development of cross-strait relations" will not gain the trust of the Taiwanese people as Beijing had just poached two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, Hsueh said, referring to the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

She added that the "one country, two systems" framework is a proven failure as seen by the way the people of Hong Kong have taken to the streets to fight for democracy, 22 years after Beijing took over the territory from the United Kingdom.

The KMT said in a press statement that it also opposes the "one country, two systems" framework. However, it noted that the framework is distinct from the "1992 Consensus" which the party does support.

The 1992 consensus is a tacit understanding reached in 1992 between the then-ruling KMT government and the Chinese Communist government. The KMT has consistently depicted the consensus as both sides of the Taiwan strait acknowledging that there is only "one China," with each side free to interpret what that means.

The KMT said it opposed the DPP administration's anti-China stance, noting that estrangement from the world's second largest economy can only hurt Taiwan.

The KMT has promised that if it wins the 2020 presidential election it will lead Taiwan back to the road of peace and development on the basis of the 1992 Consensus, a precondition stipulated by Beijing for any future cross-strait exchanges.