Mongolia not within national boundary under ROC Constitution: MAC
Taipei, May 21 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council said Monday that Mongolia is not included in the country's territory under the Republic of China (Taiwan) Constitution, citing previous statements by the Ministry of the Interior.
The council made the clarification after a legislative hearing earlier Monday during which Mainland Affairs Minister Lai Shin-yuan was shown three maps and asked to point to the one showing "the territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries," as described by the country's Constitution.
The three maps presented by Legislator Tsai Chi-chang of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) included one showing Mongolia and mainland China as one country, another showing the two as separate countries, and the third being a map of Taiwan.
Lai picked the second option but was criticized by Chen Chi-mai, a DPP lawmaker, for choosing the one of the People's Republic of China.
The council defended Lai's choice, however, by pointing to the Interior Ministry's regulations on maps, which began treating Mongolia as a country independent of China after Taiwan set up a representative office there in 2002.
At that time under a DPP administration, Interior Minister Yu Cheng-hsien cited the Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area in supporting the decision to amend the map regulations.
The rules define the ROC's mainland area as the region under the rule of the Communist Party of China.
Mongolia became an independent country in 1945 after the ROC government signed a treaty with the former Soviet Union.
The ROC government then revoked its recognition of Mongolia's independence after the treaty was abolished by the Legislature in 1953 because of a breach of the deal by the Soviet Union.
(By Chai S
The council made the clarification after a legislative hearing earlier Monday during which Mainland Affairs Minister Lai Shin-yuan was shown three maps and asked to point to the one showing "the territory of the Republic of China according to its existing national boundaries," as described by the country's Constitution.
The three maps presented by Legislator Tsai Chi-chang of the opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) included one showing Mongolia and mainland China as one country, another showing the two as separate countries, and the third being a map of Taiwan.
Lai picked the second option but was criticized by Chen Chi-mai, a DPP lawmaker, for choosing the one of the People's Republic of China.
The council defended Lai's choice, however, by pointing to the Interior Ministry's regulations on maps, which began treating Mongolia as a country independent of China after Taiwan set up a representative office there in 2002.
At that time under a DPP administration, Interior Minister Yu Cheng-hsien cited the Enforcement Rules for the Act Governing Relations between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area in supporting the decision to amend the map regulations.
The rules define the ROC's mainland area as the region under the rule of the Communist Party of China.
Mongolia became an independent country in 1945 after the ROC government signed a treaty with the former Soviet Union.
The ROC government then revoked its recognition of Mongolia's independence after the treaty was abolished by the Legislature in 1953 because of a breach of the deal by the Soviet Union.
(By Chai S
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