New PRC passport threatens hard-won stability: Ma Ying-jeou
CNA and Staff Reporter 2012-11-24 15:10
An image of Taiwan's Sun Moon Lake appears in the new PRC passports. (Internet photo)
Taiwan's government has said it is unacceptable for China to include Taiwan on its national map and pictures of Taiwanese scenic spots in its new passport, with President Ma Ying-jeou saying he hopes Beijing will not undermine the hard-earned cross-strait stability of the last few years.
The new passport bears different background motifs on each page from each province and region in China, but also includes two popular tourist destinations in Taiwan: Sun Moon Lake in the central county of Nantou and Chingshui Cliff on the island's east coast. The controversial move immediately triggered strong protests from the public in Taiwan, which has never been ruled by the PRC.
"The move completely ignores reality, only provokes disputes and harms the basis of mutual trust that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have been striving to build in recent years," Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said on Friday in a statement employing language harsher than has been used in recent years as cross-strait ties have improved.
The council said in the statement according to the Constitution of Republic of China (Taiwan), the ROC is a sovereign independent country and has its inherent territory, urging China to pragmatically face the reality of the ROC's existence. The current basis of cross-strait relations is a tacit mutual non-denial of jurisdiction.
"The government promotes cross-strait exchanges on the basis of not recognizing each other's sovereignty and not denying each other's right to rule," Fan Chiang Tai-chi, president office spokesman, said in a statement on Monday.
China's new passport also includes the disputed South China Sea as its territory. Islands in the maritime region are also claimed by the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia.
Vietnam and the Philippines also criticized China's move, with the Philippines saying it "strongly protests" the decision, while Vietnam has lodged a formal complaint with the Chinese embassy in Hanoi.
