Reuters, Thursday 24 March 2022
TAIPEI (Reuters) — A senior Taiwanese official said on Thursday he did not see China adopting a “reunification law” as it would put too much pressure on Beijing to set a timetable for bringing the island under its control, which could severely raise tensions. China, which views democratically run Taiwan as its own territory, has not officially proposed such legislation, which would be a follow-up to a 2005 law giving Beijing the legal basis for military action if it judges Taiwan to have seceded.
Taiwan’s National Security Bureau Director-General Chen Ming-tong said a Chinese proposal for such legislation had generated a lot of discussion. “It’s equivalent to setting a timetable. In the past, during the Deng Xiaoping era, they tried to set a timetable, but in the end thought it best not to, as it would put pressure on them,” Chen said. Chinese President Xi Jinping told a Taiwanese envoy in 2013 that a political solution to their standoff on sovereignty could not be postponed forever, though he has never set a timetable. China has ramped up its military pressure against Taiwan over the last two years, and the Taiwan Strait remains a potentially dangerous military flashpoint. Chen said he did not think China was gearing up for an attack this year, as Xi was getting ready for a key Communist Party congress at the end of the year to confirm him for a third term in office. “He needs to maintain stability,” Chen said.