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進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 MAC’s Hsia rejects report of alleged peace initiative
LINE DRAWN: The Mainland Affairs Council minister vowed to warn China that attempts to tie transit stops in Taiwan with flights across the Strait would end talks
By Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
Mainland Affairs Council （MAC） Minister Andrew Hsia （夏立言） yesterday rejected a news report that President Ma Ying-jeou （馬英九） is planning to propose a Taiwan Strait peace initiative before his presidential term ends in May next year.
At a question-and-answer session during a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee, Hsia said he has only heard of Ma’s East and South China Sea peace initiatives and is unaware of Ma’s reported plan to submit a peace initiative for the Taiwan Strait.
The alleged Taiwan Strait peace initiative “will absolutely not be discussed or signed during my scheduled trip to China,” Hsia said in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung （莊瑞雄）.
Hsia said that he has yet to receive any instructions from Ma to discuss the matter during his visit to Guangzhou and Dongguan from today to Thursday, during which he is scheduled to meet with his Chinese counterpart, Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun （張志軍）.
Furthermore, the signing of a peace accord between the two sides of the Strait would be subject to a referendum and legislative scrutiny, Hsia added.
Hsia’s remarks come after a report published on Friday last week by online media outlet Storm Media Group said that Ma intends to propose a Taiwan Strait peace initiative built on the current cross-strait cooperative mechanisms of humanitarian aid and maritime search and rescue.
The report said the initiative was drawn up at Ma’s request by Judicial Yuan Vice President Su Yeong-chin （蘇永欽）, based on the 1972 Basic Treaty between West and East Germany.
The initiative allegedly proposes having the National Security Council serve as a platform for both sides to report unknown situations and emergencies occurring in the Strait, with the aim of lowering the likelihood of erroneous judgements and building a foundation for a cross-strait military mutual trust mechanism, the report said.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yi （李俊俋） questioned the competency of a government official whose post is unrelated to cross-strait relations to design such an initiative.
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai （陳其邁） said that proposing such an initiative is a serious issue, and the fact that Hsia has been excluded from discussions on it suggests he is not trusted by Ma.
Regarding ongoing cross-strait negotiations on the Ma administration’s proposal to allow Chinese travelers to use Taiwan as a transit stop, Hsia said the council could halt the talks if Beijing proposes a flight route that traverses the middle of the Strait.
“All proposals pertaining to the middle line of the Strait will be off the table,” Hsia said, promising to issue a warning to China that its insistence on tying transit stops in Taiwan and flight routes across the Strait would bring an end to negotiations.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
