Lunar New Year messages from President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Twitter yesterday sparked a war of words between Taiwanese and Chinese netizens.
“From the people of Taiwan, we wish everyone a bright and prosperous Year of the Rooster,” Tsai wrote in separate messages in English and Japanese to Internet and social media users.
Her messages drew a torrent of criticism from Chinese netizens, with some leaving vitriolic comments that accused Tsai of pandering to Japan and the US by favoring Japanese and English over Chinese.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
Saying that the Japanese do not celebrate the Lunar New Year, a number of the Chinese critics accused Tsai of “selling out to Japan,” while others referenced the oppression perpetrated by the Japanese government during the Japanese colonial era in Taiwan.
Tsai should have tweeted in Mandarin instead, as Chinese characters belong to China, several Chinese said.
However, Taiwanese were quick to argue the claim, with one saying that Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia all use Chinese characters.
Photo: CNA
Chinese netizens should “stay out of other people’s business,” another said.
One Taiwanese netizen said that Tsai and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) tweet in English as a means of diplomacy, while another said that most Taiwanese tend to use other social networking platforms more than Twitter.
The Presidential Office said Tsai’s tweet shows the president has a cosmopolitan world view, adding that it was meant to wish all Twitter users a happy Lunar New Year.
People should be magnanimous over the holiday, the office said.
Tsai spent the first day of the Year of the Rooster visiting temples around the nation to ask for blessings from the gods and distributing hongbao (紅包), or red envelopes, each with a NT$1 coin inside, to crowds of people hoping to receive an envelope from her personally.
The tradition of the president distributing hongbao on the first day of the new lunar year was begun by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) in his hometown.
Tsai’s first stop was the Jue Siou Temple (覺修宮) in Taipei, where she made an offering of incense and prayed for the blessings of the temple god. She then proceeded to visit Fu-an Temple in Pingtung County’s Checheng Township (車城), where she handed out red envelopes to the throngs of people who had waited in long lines.
Many in the crowd shouted: “Welcome home, president.”
Tsai also visited Fenggang Village (楓港) in the county’s Fangshan Township (枋山), where her ancestral home is located and where she was warmly received by residents.
“We are glad that President Tsai has not forgotten about the support people in her hometown have shown her,” one resident said.
Tsai also visited temples in Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung.
The outside of Tsai’s envelope featured a rooster along with wishes for a happy new year in Chinese and English and the signatures of Tsai and Vice President Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁).
Additional reporting by Tsai Tsung-hsien and CNA
CLASH OF WORDS: While China’s foreign minister insisted the US play a constructive role with China, Rubio stressed Washington’s commitment to its allies in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday affirmed and welcomed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio statements expressing the US’ “serious concern over China’s coercive actions against Taiwan” and aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, in a telephone call with his Chinese counterpart. The ministry in a news release yesterday also said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had stated many fallacies about Taiwan in the call. “We solemnly emphasize again that our country and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and it has been an objective fact for a long time, as well as
‘CHARM OFFENSIVE’: Beijing has been sending senior Chinese officials to Okinawa as part of efforts to influence public opinion against the US, the ‘Telegraph’ reported Beijing is believed to be sowing divisions in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture to better facilitate an invasion of Taiwan, British newspaper the Telegraph reported on Saturday. Less than 750km from Taiwan, Okinawa hosts nearly 30,000 US troops who would likely “play a pivotal role should Beijing order the invasion of Taiwan,” it wrote. To prevent US intervention in an invasion, China is carrying out a “silent invasion” of Okinawa by stoking the flames of discontent among locals toward the US presence in the prefecture, it said. Beijing is also allegedly funding separatists in the region, including Chosuke Yara, the head of the Ryukyu Independence
‘ARMED GROUP’: Two defendants used Chinese funds to form the ‘Republic of China Taiwan Military Government,’ posing a threat to national security, prosecutors said A retired lieutenant general has been charged after using funds from China to recruit military personnel for an “armed” group that would assist invading Chinese forces, prosecutors said yesterday. The retired officer, Kao An-kuo (高安國), was among six people indicted for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法), the High Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. The group visited China multiple times, separately and together, from 2018 to last year, where they met Chinese military intelligence personnel for instructions and funding “to initiate and develop organizations for China,” prosecutors said. Their actions posed a “serious threat” to “national security and social stability,” the statement
NATURAL INTERRUPTION: As cables deteriorate, core wires snap in progression along the cable, which does not happen if they are hit by an anchor, an official said Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信) immediately switched to a microwave backup system to maintain communications between Taiwan proper and Lienchiang County (Matsu) after two undersea cables malfunctioned due to natural deterioration, the Ministry of Digital Affairs told an emergency news conference yesterday morning. Two submarine cables connecting Taiwan proper and the outlying county — the No. 2 and No. 3 Taiwan-Matsu cables — were disconnected early yesterday morning and on Wednesday last week respectively, the nation’s largest telecom said. “After receiving the report that the No. 2 cable had failed, the ministry asked Chunghwa Telecom to immediately activate a microwave backup system, with
RSS