Taiwan Rejects CCP’s ‘One-Country-Two-Systems’ Model

On August 11th, the Taiwanese foreign ministry held a press conference in Taipei. It unequivocally rejected the “one country, two systems” model proposed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in a white paper published on Aug 10th.

 Taiwanese foreign ministry spokesman Joanne Ou said, only Taiwanese people have the right to decide the island’s future. Still, CCP’s statement absolutely contradicted the status quo and reality across the Strait. It sought to use US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei as an excuse to create new normality to intimidate the island. Taiwan rejected the so-called ‘one country, two systems’ model. On the same day, Taiwan conducted a military drill in Taipei’s southernmost county of Pingtung for an hour, where the Taiwanese forces fired howitzers and target flares.

 It is learnt that Taipei has been holding relatively small-scale annual exercises, scheduled before the escalation of tensions and aimed at preparing to repel an invasion. Taiwan’s maneuver came after the end of Beijing’s largest-ever military exercises around the island. Some insiders said that as of the afternoon of Aug 11th, the number of CCP warships close to the median line of the Strait has been significantly reduced, and several CCP fighters temporarily crossed the median line. Despite CCP’s declaration of an end to its drills, the Taiwanese military said it would continue to adjust deployment without letting down its guard.

 Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen noted on Aug 11th that the CCP’s military threat has not decreased. Taiwan will staunchly defend its sovereignty and national security rather than exacerbate the conflict or provoke disputes.