TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s future should not rely on the goodwill of China’s leaders, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Friday (July 12).

In a podcast interview, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) named the key problem in cross-strait relations as China’s refusal to acknowledge the objective reality of the existence of Taiwan. He said Beijing’s recurrent threats and propaganda were at the root of the current feelings of uncertainty about the situation in the Taiwan Strait.

Chiu defended President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) policy of maintaining the status quo to safeguard regional peace and stability, per Radio Taiwan International. The minister said the government will stand by the Constitution and that Taiwan is as a separate entity with its own sovereignty, repeating a comment from Lai’s May 20 inauguration speech, which angered China.

The MAC minister also reiterated its call on Taiwanese travelers to exert caution if they need to travel to China, Hong Kong, or Macau. They should register at the MAC website before their trip to obtain assistance when necessary.

The concern over the safety of Taiwanese travelers peaked after China threatened to sentence supporters of Taiwan independence to death last month. As a result of the Chinese threat, Taiwan raised its travel advisory from yellow to orange, cautioning against non-essential travel.