President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday warned China not to “humiliate” Taiwan in international forums and risk “wiping out” the mutual trust and goodwill that has built up during the past two years.
Ma’s warning, made in an interview with Central News Agency, marked the sternest reaction yet to a flare-up between China and Taiwan at the Tokyo International Film Festival last month.
Jiang Ping (江平), the head of the Chinese delegation at the festival, set off consternation in Taiwan after saying Taiwan should participate under the name “Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei.”
“It took us a year and half to work out the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement [ECFA], which has received widespread praise,” Ma said.
“However, another Jiang Ping incident or two could instantly wipe out the achievement,” he said.
Ma said that despite the improved ties since he came to power in 2008, differences between Taipei and Beijing remain.
“The Jiang Ping incident is simply the tip of an iceberg,” Ma said, without elaborating.
He called on the two sides to set aside the existing sovereignty disputes and keep building mutual trust.
Ma’s comments were also in reference to former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) raising the issue of Taiwan’s international space at a meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on the sidelines of the APEC leaders’ summit in Japan at the weekend.
Ma said he had concerns over China’s continued obstruction of the efforts by Taiwanese civic groups to participate in international events, emphasizing the importance of a “virtuous cycle” on this matter.
”Our NGOs have recently encountered harassment and obstruction from … China and this has upset many people [in Taiwan],” he said.
“It would be difficult to -improve cross-strait relations” if Taiwanese NGOs keep encountering obstruction by China at international events, Ma said, adding that these organizations are usually among the most active in Taiwan.
On Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, Ma put an emphasis on the virtuous-cycle theory, which he said would help deepen cross-strait ties.
At his meeting with Lien on Sunday, Hu did not give any guarantees, merely saying that “negotiations should be sought regarding Taiwan’s participation in international affairs … so that disputes can be avoided.”
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
RSS