2012-11-21

DPP passes guidelines to establish China Affairs Committee


The DPP passed the Guidelines for Establishing the DPP China Affairs Committee at the Central Standing Committee on November 21, 2012.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang said that the DPP has the responsibility and commitment to make its China policy to advance Taiwan’s interest and to strengthen Taiwan’s democracy. To this end, the DPP establishes a China Affairs Committee.

Chairman Su also said that Taiwan faces a powerful China with opportunities and risks, and that Taiwan must have a China policy with strategic depth. Its China policy also needs to be firmly based on a Taiwan consensus.

Chairman Su explained that the “Taiwan consensus” is already established and deeply rooted in Taiwan. It is the common identification of values accumulated through time and effort. When he first presented the concept of “Taiwan consensus” in 2011, he indicated that Taiwan’s survival is paramount and Taiwan’s democracy is our cornerstone, and also said that “Taiwan must sustain its development while the future of Taiwan should be decided by the 23 million Taiwanese people.”

He indicated that the Taiwan consensus can be exemplified by the DPP’s 1999 Resolution Regarding Taiwan’s Future, which declared Taiwan status as already sovereign and independent, with a national title the Republic of China according to its current Constitution, has no mutual jurisdiction with the People’s Republic of China, and any change of the status quo must be approved by the people through a referendum. Chairman Su said that this resolution has been a firm position of the DPP, and one decade after the adoption of the resolution, this position has become mainstream in Taiwan.

Chairman Su also said that Taiwan is now facing new challenges with a changing China. In the past, China was just an entity on the other side of the Taiwan Strait with a rigid policy, but now China has entrenched into Taiwan’ society with subtlety. Facing the new circumstances, Taiwan must work closer with each other to adopt policies that are more flexible.

Chairman Su further elaborated that in creating this committee, he has worked hard to consult with opinion leaders extensively. Even though they might differ in their views, all agreed that the starting point must be the same, which is to serve the best interests of Taiwan.

Chairman Su gave his special appreciation to Mr. Frank Hsieh, former chairman of the DPP and former premier, for his deep insights on China. Chairman Su said that even though he originally intended to appoint him as committee chairman, he gave it much thinking and decided that it was a responsibility that he must shoulder himself, which is a viewpoint that Mr. Hsieh shared. He continued by saying that since he announced the idea of establishing the committee, Mr. Hsieh had demonstrated to him with much wisdom in finding a solution for Taiwan, which he was grateful for.

Chairman Su appealed to the party and the Taiwan public to sit down and discuss pressing China policies so that the country can unite for a better future of Taiwan.

 
The contents of the guidelines are highlighted below:
 

Article 1

In order to set the policy direction for Taiwan in regards to China and cross strait exchanges, to protect Taiwan’s sovereignty, to ensure peace in the Taiwan Strait and to ensure the development of cross strait relations with equality and reciprocity, the DPP hereby establishes the China Affairs Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) and adopts the guidelines for its establishment.

 

Article 2

Objectives of the Committee shall include:

- To study the politics, economy and society of China;

- To research and analyze the future cross strait relations;

- To research and analyze cross strait policies;

- To study the policy and principles for exchanges between the party and China; and

- To study issues related to cross strait and regional situations.

 

Article 3

The Department of China Affairs shall take the staff responsibility for the Committee.

 

Article 4

The Committee shall consist of 7 to 9 members, including the Chairman of the Party who shall serve as the convener. Other committee members shall be nominated by the Chairman to be approved by the Central Standing Committee. The members have the same term period as the Chairman.

 

Article 5

The Chairman may appoint advisors to the Committee; who have the same term period as the Chairman.

 

Article 6

The Committee shall meet once every two months; provisional meetings shall be called upon necessity. The committee meetings shall be chaired by the convener, and in the case of his absence, the convener may appoint another committee member to serve as acting convener.

 

Article 7

Decisions of the Committee shall be submitted to the Central Standing Committee for further deliberation or actions.

 

Article 8

The guidelines shall take effect on the date of adoption.

 

 

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