MAC dismisses China's criticism of Lai's National Day address

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), Taiwan's top agency handling cross-Taiwan Strait affairs, has rejected China's criticism of President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) National Day address and condemned it for trying to "turn Taiwan into another Hong Kong."

It is clear that the Chinese Communist Party views the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) as an illegitimate regime and seeks to prevent its continued existence, the MAC said in a statement Tuesday.

Beijing's positions, including emphasizing the "one China principle" and the "1992 consensus," are aimed at turning Taiwan into another Hong Kong, the MAC said in response to the comments by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) earlier in the day.

The "one China principle" insists that there is only one "China" and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of that China, and China also sees the "1992 consensus" as suggesting that Taiwan is part of one China.

Earlier Tuesday, TAO spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said Lai's speech on Oct. 10 was a harmful "Taiwan independence manifesto."

"He escalated provocations against the one-China principle, further entrenching the 'two-state fallacy,'" Chen said in a statement in response to a media inquiry.

⚫Full text of President Lai Ching-te's National Day address

Describing Lai as a "Taiwan independence worker" and a "peace disruptor," Chen also defended Beijing's recent countermeasures as just actions by a sovereign state aimed at safeguarding its territorial integrity and ensuring peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Further provocations by "Taiwan independence" forces would be met with stronger punitive actions until full national reunification is achieved, Chen warned.

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) on Monday launched military drills code-named "Joint Sword-2024B," involving the army, navy, air force and rocket forces in the Taiwan Strait and areas to the north, south and east of Taiwan.

The actions were labeled as a "stern warning to the separatist acts of Taiwan independence forces" in the wake of Lai's speech.

In his National Day address, Lai said "the R.O.C., which took root in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu -- and the People's Republic of China are not subordinate to each other."

"The PRC has no right to represent Taiwan," Lai said, adding that his mission as president was to "safeguard the country's survival and development" and ensure that the "nation's sovereignty must not be violated or annexed."

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