The government’s decision to instruct the Civil Aeronautics Administration to comply with China’s newly declared air defense identification zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea underlines President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) “one-China mindset” and risks giving the world the false impression that Taiwan belongs to China, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday.
Lee made the remarks in response to media inquires on the sidelines of a forum held by the Taiwan Brain Trust think tank on the nation’s national and economic development and Japan’s economic policies, which was also attended by former Democratic Progressive Party chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former presidential adviser Koo Kwang-ming (辜寬敏).
When asked about the Ma administration’s pledge to express its “solemn stance” on China’s unilateral demarcation of the zone, Lee said it was “good” that the government intended to lodge a protest against the matter because the preservation of Taiwan’s national consciousness was extremely vital.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
However, Lee reacted strongly to the government’s insistence on abiding by China’s ADIZ rules despite a joint statement issued by the legislature on Friday urging it not to do so.
“Is Taiwan an [independent] country or what? If the US and Japan can [refuse to comply with China’s requirements], why can’t Taiwan?” Lee asked, adding that Ma, as the head of state, should have the best interests of the nation and its people in mind.
As to whether the government’s compliance could lead the world to view Taiwan as part of China, Lee said: “That is exactly what he [Ma] means… No one in this country agrees with the ‘one China’ principle, except him.”
Meanwhile, Tsai said that given Taiwan’s key strategic role in maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the Asia-Pacific region, the Ma administration was “not tough enough” in its handling of the situation.
“It has also failed to strike a balance between its warming ties with China and its obligation to be a responsible party in the region,” Tsai said.
China announced its new ADIZ that includes the disputed Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) on Nov. 23, demanding that foreign aircraft passing through the zone file flight plans in advance and strictly follow instructions from its air-traffic controllers.
In his keynote speech at the forum, Lee said that to stimulate economic growth, the government must attach more importance to national economic security, agricultural development and energy independence, rather than focusing only on trade liberalization and exports.
Lee identified five crises faced by the nation’s society and economy:
First, Taiwan’s over-reliance on China has caused the hollowing-out of industries, a loss of technical know-how and a decline in developmental momentum, which requires the government to help maintain a technological advantage to ensure the nation’s economy independence.
Second, Taiwanese corporations’ over-investment in China has led to stagnant wages and a lack of job opportunities at home, resulting in a widening poverty gap. The gap could be narrowed if the government creates more jobs.
Third, the government’s overemphasis on trade liberalization has weakened the nation’s competitiveness. It must work to enhance small and medium-sized enterprises’ innovative capacity to help industrial clusters take root.
Fourth, the government’s over-dependence on imported energy and food has jeopardized the nation’s economic security, which requires it to build a sustainable economy and put more effort into developing agriculture and renewable energy sources.
Lastly, as the relationship between the nation’s financial sector and the real economy has developed abnormally, the government needs to redefine it immediately.
Separately yesterday, former representative to Japan Koh Se-kai (許世楷) said Ma had turned from someone who said he was willing to go to war with Japan over the Diaoyutai dispute to a person who blatantly denied the apparent link between China’s ADIZ announcement and the issue of territorial sovereignty.
“The difference in Ma’s handling of the two incidents underscores his pro-China stance… He has given up expanding the nation’s military capacity and improving its public diplomacy because of China, while willingly turned himself into the leader of a ‘client state,’” Koh said.
Additional Reporting by Chen Hui-ping
‘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