Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday that nationalism in China would reach its height in 2008 and that Taiwan must be clear about its identity at that time in order to safeguard against a possible Chinese invasion.
Lee made the remarks in an interview with Open weekly magazine that hits newsstands today.
"2008 will be the year when China's nationalism reaches its pinnacle. The dam in Sanxia (
"[China's] aim is to claim Taiwan to be part of China, using this great nationalism," he said.
To prevent Taiwan from being annexed by China, Lee asserted Taiwanese will have to intensify their national recognition by that time, so that the nation will be strong enough to counter China's nationalism.
Lee said he hopes the government will strive to ingrain Taiwan's national recognition into people's minds, so that in six years, 90 percent of the entire population will acknowledge Taiwan to be their homeland.
In Lee's view, the most vital elements for a flourishing country include strong leadership, a clear national identity and sense of purpose, as well as a spirit of unity. Only by clearly establishing these values can the people know what the nation's mission is, he said.
Lee also reiterated his belief that Taiwan and China are two different countries and that their relations should be "special state-to-state" in nature, calling upon Taiwan's citizens to accept the tenet.
Only by reaching such a consensus can Taiwan devise ways to cope with China if were to attack, according to Lee.
Lee also took the opportunity of the interview to proffer advice to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his new role as DPP chairman.
Lee said that Chen should not only take advantage of the new power bestowed upon him, but that he should also work to sharpen his leadership, adding that the biggest crisis faced by the DPP is "a lack of experience."
Lee said jokingly that he would play an eternal "bad cop," mounting pressure on the government until it acts to uphold the people's interests, and that is the purpose of the existence of TSU.
A dauntless critic of the government's policy to open up direct links, Lee said the government should carefully consider the consequences of the policy before succumbing to outside pressure on the matter.
Lee also addressed the issue of the president's proposed cross-party "alliance for national stabilization." Lee compared Chen's plan to his own think tank, the Taiwan Advocates, saying that the group is like the alliance initiative except that it functions behind the scenes.
He said media reports that the group was founded so as to form an alliance behind the scenes, therefore, are accurate.
He called the group a "do tank" and said its mission is to help preserve political stability by assembling a group of talent to work together for the betterment of the country.
He said Taiwan Advocates welcomes the participation of anyone sharing the same political beliefs and is not limited to TSU members.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or