Wang Yu-chi

Wang Yu-chi 王郁琦
Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council of the Executive Yuan
Incumbent
Assumed office 28 September 2012
Deputy	Chang Hsien-yao,[1]Lin Chu-chia Chang Hsien-yao, Lin Chu-chia, Wu Mei-hung[2]
Preceded by	Lai Shin-Yuan
Personal details
Born	1969 (1969) (age 45) Taiwan
Nationality	Republic of China
Political party	Kuomintang
Alma mater	National Taiwan University Indiana University

Wang Yu-chi (Chinese: 王郁琦; pinyin: Wáng Yùqí) is a politician in the Republic of China. He currently serves as the Minister of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) of the Executive Yuan since 28 September 2012.^[3]

ROC Mainland Affairs Council Ministry

Chinese mainland leader photo ID test

In October 2012, after just less than a week after his appointment as the Minister, Wang was tested to identify Mainland Chinese leaders from the Politburo Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China by Tsai Chi-chang, member of the Democratic Progressive Party at the Legislative Yuan. He only managed to identify Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, but failed to do so on the other seven leaders.^[4]

New PRC passport

After the issuance of new version of PRC passport in May 2012 which features Taiwan's iconic landmark of Sun Moon Lake and Chingshui Cliff, Wang told the Strait Exchange Foundation had written to Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits in December 2012 to explain the matter. Taiwan's response to this matter is however, the most lenient one than any other countries depicted in the passport.^[5]

New Taiwan Affairs Office director appointment

With the newly appointed Director of Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council Zhang Zhijun in March 2013, Wang said that Zhang is welcomed to visit Taiwan at the appropriate time, suitable capacity and when all of the conditions are set right, because Zhang's predecessor Wang Yi never had the chance to visit Taiwan during his office term.^[6]

Cross-strait reciprocal representative offices

In mid April 2013, with the plan for Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) branch office establishment in Mainland China and its counterpart Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) branch office establishment in Taiwan, Wang said the office will handle trade, consular affairs, cultural exchanges, protection and emergency assistance for Taiwanese residing in Mainland China. However, he emphasized that both SEF and ARATS offices are not official government office, and wish to avoid public miss perception that Taiwan-Mainland China relations is a state-to-state relation.^[7][8]

He added that at the initial phase, Taiwan will set up three SEF branch offices in Mainland China, which are in Beijing, central China and southern China. The plan is to establish up to five SEF branch offices. As for ARATS branch offices in Taiwan, he won't allow Beijing to set up ARATS offices in all ROC administrative divisions.^[9][10]

In end of June 2013, when asked if Wang can open the proposed SEF offices in the mainland, he said that as long as the Chinese mainland authorities can address him with his formal ministerial title, then he has no problem with that, nothing that this is not a personal issue, but he is the formal appointed official by the government of the Republic of China, therefore he is representing Taiwan.^[11]

Taiwanese fisherman shooting incident

After the shooting incident of Taiwanese fisherman by Philippine government vessel on 9 May 2013 at the disputed water in South China Sea, Philippine President Benigno Aquino III said that this matter would be handled by Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei in accordance to One-China policy. Wang responded that this dispute is between the Philippines and Taiwan. It has nothing to do with One-China policy at all.

Commenting on Beijing's expression of support to Taiwan because Taiwan is part of China, Wang thanked and appreciated them for the support and offer, but wish them to stay out of this dispute because it will make things more complicated if Mainland China were to be involved, MAC informed the Taiwan Affairs Office.^[12][13]

2013 cross-strait service trade agreement

Commenting on the recently signed Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement between ARATS and SEF in Shanghai in end of June 2013, speaking at a forum in Hualien City, Wang said that the pact will help Taiwanese business people in reaching further to the Chinese mainland market and it will greatly benefit Taiwanese doing business on the mainland and that this pact will allow the Taiwanese there to stand at an advantage over other foreign competitors. He further added that the pact is an important components of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and that every concession the mainland Chinese authorities has made to the Taiwanese business is greater than those concessions made to other foreign countries.^[14]

Macau visit

In end of August 2013, Wang visited Macau, his first visit after taking office as Minister of MAC. During his visit, he met with the Chief Executive of Macau, Fernando Chui, the first time of such meeting between the two leaders. Both of them referred each other by their official title.

Both of them discussed about education and tourism issues. Chui also raised issued on when Taiwan will recognize school degree issued in Macau, in which Wang responded positively. Wang also thanked the Government of Macau for the good treatment and respect he received while being in Macau since his arrival in Macau International Airport.

Wang also visited the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Macau for the first time since the ROC representative office was renamed to TECO, in line with the rest of ROC representative offices around the world, since 19 July 2011. He also visited Macau historic areas.^[15]

2013 APEC Indonesia

In October 2013, during the APEC Indonesia 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, Wang met with Zhang Zhijun, a ground breaking historical meeting for the first time between leader of Taiwan Affairs Office and leader of Mainland Affairs Council, where the two addressed each other by each's official title. Both of them called on the establishment of a regulat dialogue mechanism between their two agencies to enhance mutual understanding and facilitate cross-strait engagement. Wang was also invited by Zhang to visit Mainland China.^[16][17]

According to the MAC, by addressing each other by their ministerial title, both Wang and Zhang had shown "mutual non-denial" of each side's authority to govern and deepened mutual respect between them.^[18] President Ma Ying-jeou, through Presidential Office speaker, expressed his gratification, reiterating that the two sides do not deny each other's authority to govern. The Wang-Zhang meeting also marked a good start for normalizing official interactions across the Taiwan Strait.^[19]

View on cross-strait relations

Lin Join-sane and Wang Yu-chi

His view on cross-strait relations is that although both Taiwan and Mainland China share close relationship in terms of culture and ethnicity, but in terms of democracy, human rights and the rule of law, both sides of the Taiwan Strait share different opinions, Wang said in mid March 2013.^[20]

Commenting on DPP former Chairman Frank Hsieh on his initiative of constitutions with different interpretations (憲法各表) for cross-strait relations between DPP and CPC in mid April 2013, Wang explained that such initiative will convey the meaning of state-to-state relations and will not accepted by Beijing.^[21]

In early May 2013, Wang made a statement that if Mainland China is willing to remove all of the missiles pointing at Taiwan voluntarily, it can be a good gesture Beijing can show to Taipei, because it doesn't need cross-strait negotiation to do so, only the willingness from Mainland China's side. He added also that he wish to see exchange visits by leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait and address each other using their formal official capacity.^[22]

In mid June 2013, Wang stressed the ROC government stance that the One-China policy that they have been embracing is the Republic of China. As a sovereign and independent state, cross-strait relations is the relations between the two sides of the Republic of China, which are Taiwan area and Mainland area. The relation is based on the 1992 consensus, that there is only one China, and that China is the Republic of China.^[23][24]

See also

• Cross-Strait relations
• Executive Yuan
• Mainland Affairs Council
• Straits Exchange Foundation
• Taiwan Affairs Office

References