Likening the military might of Taiwan and China to a grasshopper and a rooster, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said although Taiwan could be a powerful grasshopper, the best strategy was not to provoke the rooster but to prevent it from taking any reckless action.
Ma made the remarks during a round-table forum with Red Cross Society of the Republic of China head C.V. Chen (陳長文), Global Views Monthly cofounder Charles Kao (高希均) and writers Liu Ke-shiang (劉克襄) and Wang Wen-hua (王文華) at the Presidential Office on Monday.
The closed-door meeting was organized by the Chinese-language United Daily News and access to other media outlets was denied. Details of the meeting were published in the newspaper yesterday.
The paper quoted Ma as citing Chinese philosopher Mencius (孟子), who Ma said wrote that the best way for two countries to get along was for the smaller country to be smart and flexible in dealing with the bigger one, and the bigger country generous and kind and not to browbeat its smaller counterpart.
During the 90-minute talk, Ma praised his cross-strait and foreign policies, saying he was inspired by a US guest who lamented that his country helped the Chinese fight the Japanese in the 20th century, then worked with the Japanese to fight the Chinese and now works with both so they do not have to take sides, the paper said.
“I believe that we on both sides of the Taiwan Strait can do the same and do not have to force our friends to take sides,” the report quoted Ma as saying.
Ma said he did not consult with Beijing about his “diplomatic truce” policy before he announced it, but China accepted it.
The policy benefited both Taiwan and China because they no longer need to waste money on trying to lure away the other’s diplomatic allies, allowing the two sides to coexist peacefully, Ma was quoted as saying.
Citing Sun Tzu’s (孫子) The Art of War, Ma said the supreme art of war was to subdue the enemy without ever raising a weapon.
“If we can make good use of our resources, astuteness and diplomacy, we can protect the country in a peaceful way,” he said. “Why do we even want to resort to the worst plan of starting a war?”
The daily also reported that Ma acknowledged the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) poses risks, but added that he had a remedy for such problems.
Ma said the pact would present three difficulties: market competition risks, economic reliance on China and returning political favors.
To address these problems, it was important to strengthen the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, upgrade the value of key products, prevent political language and create cross-strait equality and reciprocity, he said, without elaborating.
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
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