Opposition to China’s “one country, two systems” framework is “the most important Taiwan consensus,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai made the remarks at a meeting with Nauruan President Baron Divavesi Waqa at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
Taiwanese oppose the “one country, two systems” framework, a stance also shared by the ruling and opposition parties, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
“Rejection of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework is the most important ‘Taiwan consensus’ of this year,” she said.
Taiwan also believes that sitting down for a discussion is the best way to solve a problem, Tsai said, adding that talks with China should occur with no political preconditions.
Taiwan would work with international partners with similar ideologies and contribute to the world based on this belief, she added.
Separately, Dr She for Democracy, a group of more than 800 pro-democracy female doctors, bought half-page ads on the front pages of yesterday’s editions of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) and Apple Daily in support of Tsai.
The ad, which featured a pink background, read: “Defend Taiwan’s democracy. We support President Tsai Ing-wen.”
It was signed “810 female doctors from all over Taiwan” and listed their names.
The group said on Facebook that it strongly believes that Taiwan’s democratic values and sovereignty are worthy of the attention and protection of everyone who lives in the nation.
It said that the greatest wish of its members as doctors, mothers, daughters, sisters and wives is for their elders to live peacefully and for their children to grow up happily.
However, recent upheaval and the spread of fake news have aroused their concern, it said, adding that they feel threatened by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) remarks and Beijing’s alleged efforts to conceal information about African swine fever.
The group was referring to Xi on Wednesday last week saying in a speech that China is willing to talk with any party in Taiwan to push forward the political process as long as it accepts the “one China” principle.
China “will not renounce the use of force or give up the option to use all necessary measures” to serve that end and crack down on Taiwanese independence, he said.
As democracy is a worldwide trend and universal value, the group said that it was willing to join the international community in defending the values and dignity of democracy, adding that Tsai has expressed their views clearly with her insistence on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Netizens praised and thanked the group for its comments.
One netizen called the group’s statement a display of the “Taiwanese spirit,” while another said that they were almost moved to tears.
In related news, the edition of the Ministry of National Defense Political Warfare Bureau’s weekly publication Our Voice released on Monday said that Xi’s speech was filled with contradictions and contained traces of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “united front” tactics.
The political goal hidden behind the concepts of “one country, two systems,” “peaceful unification” and “integrated development” is to carry out unification according to the CCP’s wishes, it added.
Military personnel should recognize that adopting a “one country, two systems” framework would mean destroying the Republic of China, and defend the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of the nation’s 23 million people, it said.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS