TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Tuesday (July 2) reaffirmed the Republic of China (中華民國) and the People's Republic of China (中華人民共和國) are not subordinate to one another, pledging government efforts to maintain this status quo, which he said is a national imperative.
Premier Cho's remarks come in response to a controversial statement made by Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) a day earlier, who claimed that the Republic of China does not exist and that "Chinese independence" is the same as "Taiwanese independence," essentially making Taiwan and mainland China two separate countries.
This assertion drew criticism from Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation Director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑), who argued that the MAC lost its reason for existence by publicly treating mainland China as another country. Hsiao called for Liang's resignation and suggested that President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) disband the council.
To this, Premier Cho, while speaking at the Legislative Yuan on Tuesday, reiterated the non-subordination of the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. He stressed that preserving this status quo is not only the will of the people but also beneficial to the stability and security of the Indo-Pacific region.