Ministers Of National Development Council Taiwan

"If my colleagues and I could confront such a difficult issue (controversies surrounding the appointment of National Taiwan University president), can our society please let things go too?"

"As an academic, I believe in the advantages of global academic dialogue, including exchanges with (mainland) China. While there are special circumstances across the (Taiwan) Strait, the nation has laws and regulations in place to govern (issues related to mainland China), and I have followed them in all of my speaking engagements and short-term lectureships there."

"Taipei has a responsibility to share its 60-year experience of democratization and economic development with Beijing. We also have a responsibility to make freedom, democracy, human rights and rule of law the core values for promoting cross-strait ties."

"Traditional Chinese characters carry both cultural significance and artistic values and promoting these characters has nothing to do with any political stance. It's very important for us not to sacrifice the characters for tourism."

"We have no reason to be pessimistic about the (cross-strait service trade) agreement or to be afraid of its impact. The government will try its best to minimize possible damage and maximize the business opportunities the agreement can create."

"Providing compensation (to the victims of White Terror) will not write off the incidents once and for all."

"In 1992, the two sides (Taiwan and Mainland China) reached a consensus that each side would verbally express their adherence to the one China principle."

"Our relationship with mainland China is very subtle. We don’t have a state-to-state relationship and we do not view mainland China as a foreign state."

"We know that Hong Kong, after the handover to mainland China, has been trying for universal suffrage … We know that mainland China has made promises and we're of course pleased to see Hong Kong changing in this direction."

"The timing and conditions are ripe for the two sides to set up representative offices (ARATS in Taiwan and SEF in Mainland China). There are no political implications to the plan and the functions of the offices will be basically neutral."

"The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese by ethnicity. Cross-strait relations are not international relations. Each side acknowledges the existence of "one China", but maintains its own interpretation based on the 1992 Consensus."

"It is impossible for us to recognize (mainland China) as another nation within our (Republic of China) territory."

"They (opposition) say we are selling out Taiwan and that we lost something, but they never say what exactly we have lost."

"Not everyone understands this. But we (ROC government) have done what needed to be done, and we will keep doing so until the very end."

"We must actively engage in regional economic integration, as Taiwan is an island with few natural resources and a relatively small economy. Taiwan had signed very few free-trade agreements in the past. How can we not be in a hurry to catch up?"

"Negotiations can resolve differences, cooperation can replace confrontation and development can create a win-win scenario."

"Both the 228 Incident (White Terror in Taiwan) and the June 4 Incident (Tiananmen Square Incident in Beijing) are like mirrors, reminding the leaders on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to engage in soul-searching and learn lessons."

"The mistakes of history might be gradually forgotten, but historical truth cannot be forgotten, since forgetting history could lead to the recurrence of the same mistakes."

"Anyone who embraces the Republic of China with all of their heart definitely does not support the Taiwan independence movement."

"The military should learn a lesson from the incident and correct its mistakes immediately after a review of its system. We must restore the people’s faith in the military."

"This (Taiwanese fisherman shot by Philippines coast guard incident) is not a problem between the people of Taiwan and the people of the Philippines. This is a problem between the people of Taiwan and the Philippine administration."

"I think mutual denial of each other’s sovereignty (between ROC and PRC) and mutual non-denial of respective jurisdictions would be more appropriate, but any proposal has its pros and cons, and I think it’s up for discussion."

"Since 1949, China has been temporarily divided, and each side of the Taiwan Strait is administered by a separate political entity. This is an objective reality."

"We do not and will not promote 'two Chinas', 'one China and one Taiwan' or 'Taiwan independence'. Taiwan and Mainland China share the common heritage. Both sides of the Taiwan Strait are part of the Chinese nation. Their people are descendants of the same ancestors. The people of mainland China and the people of Taiwan share a common bloodline, history and culture. And after five years of peaceful exchange, the two sides have created an unprecedented horizon for the Chinese nation, as well as set an example, not only for East Asia but also for the entire world, on how to settle disputes peacefully. With mutual non-recognition of sovereignty and mutual non-denial of jurisdiction as guiding principles, both sides should continue to expand and deepen their ties in areas such as commerce, culture, technology, environmental protection and human rights."

"There will be no national flags or other kinds of flags designed to specify cross-strait relations inside or outside the offices because we are not foreign nations to each other."

"The two sides of the Taiwan Strait will deepen cross-strait exchanges, and it will be difficult to continue such exchanges without representative offices."

"Pragmatically speaking, there exists no possibility of Taiwan independence. The only option (for Taiwan) is whether to reunify (with Mainland China) or not."

"No ruling out the possibility of unification with China, no support for Taiwanese independence and no use of force."

"President Tsai will end up with a legacy of broken diplomatic relations if she keeps implementing wrongheaded policies like condemning (mainland) China without ever reflecting upon herself."

"Renewable energy has its limitations and the government cannot put all its eggs in the same basket. We must develop different sources of energy, otherwise an energy crisis could result in a serious national security issue."

"Ask not how long the term you will serve, but ask what meaningful things you will do during your tenure."

"Many government officials have very high moral standards at the beginning of their duties, but after a while some officials sway from the right path and easily fall into the temptation of bribery and fraud."

"The then-Japanese empire suppressed the people of the Republic of China and took over the authority against our will, and so ‘Japanese occupation’ should be a proper term to describe the period."

"If the government does not adjust the electricity rate, then even God could not operate Taipower."

"A democratic country has zero tolerance for all illegal monitoring operations."

"Where there is the will, we can make it."

"The relationship between Scotland and the United Kingdom and that between the ROC-Taiwan and (Mainland) China are totally different. The ROC is an independent country, so the question of announcing independence via referendum is simply a nonstarter. Any kind of referendum that aims to change the status quo would be unwise. Keeping the ROC on Taiwan as an independent, sovereign state is our topmost priority. Any idea diverging from this would be at odds with the Constitution and against our citizens’ interests."

"A country cannot solely rely on the government and opposition parties to solve all of the problems."

"You have to treat every day as the last day of your appointment, regardless of how long you are going to serve."

"We will not change what we have already announced to the public (regarding minimum wage hike). This is something that the workers have been waiting many months for, and the government should respect the efforts they put into their daily duties."

"I hope that government workers can be proactive. … Doling out punishment constantly would only cause them to have a mentality of 'the less one does, the fewer mistakes one makes.'"

"As a leader, you should have values and beliefs... It is simply irresponsible to respond to public criticism by simply giving someone a demerit."