Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) strongly criticized Chinese authorities on Friday for using the Anti-Secession Law as justification for potential annexation, amid commemorations marking the law’s 20th anniversary in Beijing.
In a statement, the MAC condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for enacting the Anti-Secession Law two decades ago with the explicit aim of creating a legal pretext for forcibly annexing Taiwan. The council argued the law, which does not rule out military force to achieve unification, violates international law and undermines universal values such as democracy, freedom, and human rights.
The MAC emphasized that the law has never been accepted by Taiwan or the international community, calling it a tool for a “forced push for unification.”
This response followed remarks earlier by Zhao Leji, the third-highest ranking official in China’s CCP and chairman of China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee. Speaking at a symposium in Beijing commemorating the law’s enactment, Zhao stressed the necessity of using “rule-of-law approaches” to counteract Taiwan independence and promote national unification.
Over the past 20 years, Zhao said, China had emphasized legal measures to “punish and deter ‘Taiwan independence,'” advocating for coordinated actions across political, economic, military, diplomatic, and public opinion fronts to maximize their effectiveness.
Despite the forceful rhetoric from Beijing, Chang Wu-ueh, director of Tamkang University’s Center for Cross-Strait Relations, noted that the high-level attendance and messaging at the event indicated no significant policy shifts toward Taiwan. According to Chang, this reflects caution from China amid ongoing uncertainties in its relationship with the United States.
Nevertheless, Chang highlighted Beijing’s increased emphasis on legal measures against Taiwan independence, hinting that China might pursue additional laws targeting Taiwan in the future.
China’s Anti-Secession Law, enacted on March 14, 2005, outlines the conditions under which China would employ non-peaceful means to achieve unification, notably in scenarios where peaceful methods are no longer viable.
