Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday appealed to the international community to maintain its concern for the development of human rights and democracy in China.
He also said the Chinese people were welcome to learn from the Taiwan experience, especially the holding of direct elections.
"The Chinese people should enjoy the same universal rights of democracy, diversity and freedom that Taiwan upholds," Yu said. "The government sincerely invites the Chinese people to bear witness to Taiwan's democratic system, including the legislative elections at the end of the year, which can lay the foundations for China's democratization and peaceful ascent [onto the world stage]."
Marking the 15th anniversary of 1989's Tiananmen Square Massacre on behalf of Yu, Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) urged Beijing to allow truth to be restored to China's historical record.
"The incident's significance lies in the fact that people on both sides of the Strait are trying to bring about democratic systems. Democracy, which has already become a part of `Taiwanese values,' can also become a core value of Chinese culture," he said.
"Only a diverse and democratic society can meet the expectations of the people -- on both sides," Chen said.
Chen noted remarks by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his inauguration speech that the first two decades of this century would be crucial for national development and for China's liberalization.
"Yet," Chen Chi-mai said, "although this year is the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the behavior of Beijing, which has included a military crackdown on civilians in 1989, Internet restrictions and its general dictatorial manner, remains unchanged.
"Moreover, the freedom and democracy requested by the Chinese people has not been brought about and the country's human rights record has failed to make concrete progress," he said.
Chen Chi-mai said that Taiwan hoped China would undertake a thorough review of policies to protect the basic freedoms of speech and assembly.
"President Chen suggested that both sides should form a dynamic peace framework for cross-strait interaction and maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait ... [They] should also improve cultural and economic interaction, especially the three direct links," he said.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) put Taiwan in danger, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday, hours after the de facto US embassy said that Beijing had misinterpreted World War II-era documents to isolate Taiwan. The AIT’s comments harmed the Republic of China’s (ROC) national interests and contradicted a part of the “six assurances” stipulating that the US would not change its official position on Taiwan’s sovereignty, Hsiao said. The “six assurances,” which were given by then-US president Ronald Reagan to Taiwan in 1982, say that Washington would not set a date for ending arm sales to Taiwan, consult
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