On the Tiananmen massacre's 15th anniversary, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma spoke at a forum held by the New Taiwanese Cultural Foundation and the United Daily News to commemorate the June 4, 1989, suppression of Chinese demonstrators in Beijing.
PHOTO: CNA
Ma noted that "China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has redefined the Tiananmen movement as `the political disturbance that occurred at the turn of spring and summer in 1989' instead of `a counter-revolutionary rebellion,'" Ma said. "However, the Beijing authorities simply gave up stigmatizing the movement in order to dilute the fact of carnage."
"In fact, Beijing neither faced up to the historical truth nor did they examine their responsibility in a real sense," Ma added.
Ma cited an article he published in yesterday's United Daily News in which he accused the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of manipulating populism in order to gain power.
Ma said democracy in China is like baby who died in infancy, while in Hong Kong democracy is like a child whose growth has been stunted. Relative to these cases, he said, democracy developed more healthily in Taiwan.
"However, the controversies over the presidential election in Taiwan have impacted on Chinese intellectuals, who have great expectations for democracy," Ma said.
He said that although Taiwan has regular elections and its press freedom is more advanced than in China, the presidential election caused confrontation and hatred between people and hurt administrative neutrality.
"I am disappointed but I will never despair, because I have confidence in the democratic and judiciary systems and believe that Taiwan has the ability to reflect" on its historical experience, Ma said.
Ma also urged China's people to join in efforts to facilitate cross-strait dialogue and to work for peace and democracy.
Ma said the fact that Beijing vetoed the people of Hong Kong's desire to vote for their chief executive has made Taiwanese who have opposed the "one China, two systems" policy more disillusioned and disappointed by China.
Ma called on China not to employ military force against Taiwan since wars only stir up the most negative side of people and cause unhealing wounds.
"Although the DPP is a variable that destabilizes cross-strait security, it is also a partner who vies with us to develop democracy," Ma said. He said that continued debate with the ruling party will help Taiwan's democratic development, especially in the area of constitutional amendments.
Ma said that although China is trying to erase the memory of the Tiananmen massacre, the truth will be known one day.
"China's recent policy of `peaceful rising' might not be necessarily respectable and desirable," Ma said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated