The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday condemned the ruling party’s controversial “one country, two areas (一國兩區)” proposal and demanded that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) apologize and clarify his stance on Taiwan’s status.
If Ma failed to disclose the policymaking process behind the proposal, which the DPP said would make unification Taiwan’s only option, the DPP would not rule out “any form of action that could express Taiwanese people’s anger,” DPP spokesperson Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) told a press conference.
The party announced its formal position on the proposal, which had been heavily debated in the legislature for days, after its weekly Central Standing Committee meeting.
The proposal, touted by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) during his meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on Thursday last week in Beijing, has changed the “status quo” of Taiwan’s territory and sovereignty and has violated Ma’s own policy of “no independence and no unification,” Lin said.
“Under this policy, unification [with China] would be Taiwan’s only option,” he said.
The policy is dangerous in that the international community would likely interpret “one country” as being the People’s Republic of China (PRC), making Taiwan a region under the PRC, Lin said.
What is even more unacceptable was the opaque policymaking process, he said, as top intelligence and cross-strait affairs officials were kept out of the decisionmaking circle.
Ma not only ignored legislative oversight and failed to communicate with the public, but he has also stayed silent on the matter to avoid responsibility, Lin added.
While Ma has not personally commented on the “one country, two areas” proposal, the Presidential Office on Monday said that the complete definition for cross-strait ties is “one Republic of China, two areas.”
Lin said the DPP has always maintained that Taiwan is a sovereign country and any change in the “status quo” should go through a national referendum.
“Taiwan’s sovereignty should not be a bargaining chip on the negotiation table, nor can it be transferred between political parties,” Lin added.
Lin said Ma should apologize and explain his policy, adding that the party would not rule out measures to give voice to public anger.
However, Lin declined to confirm if participation in a protest planned by several groups on May 20 — the day of Ma’s inauguration for his second presidential term — was one of the options.
The DPP yesterday also reached a resolution on another much-discussed issue — a presidential pardon for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who is serving a 17-and-a-half-year sentence for corruption.
A number of pro-localization groups and DPP lawmakers, among them a senior legislator, Mark Chen (陳唐山), have recently advocated a presidential pardon for Chen and have launched a petition.
Lin said the DPP supports Chen’s judicial rights and right to medical treatment.
However, the party has urged its members to refrain from taking unilateral action before a more specific resolution is made, so the issue “would not be exploited by its political rivals as a tool to divide the DPP,” he said.
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
SHARED VALUES: The US, Taiwan and other allies hope to maintain the cross-strait ‘status quo’ to foster regional prosperity and growth, the former US vice president said Former US vice president Mike Pence yesterday vowed to continue to support US-Taiwan relations, and to defend the security and interests of both countries and the free world. At a meeting with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Pence said that the US and Taiwan enjoy strong and continued friendship based on the shared values of freedom, the rule of law and respect for human rights. Such foundations exceed limitations imposed by geography and culture, said Pence, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time. The US and Taiwan have shared interests, and Americans are increasingly concerned about China’s
RSS