Senior Presidential Adviser Koo Kwang-ming (
"The unfriendly attitude displayed by the US in response to Taiwan's move to rectify its name suggests that the US has forgotten the original ideals and dreams it upheld when it was first founded," Koo said.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Koo made the remark yesterday at the launch of a new book by Chinese dissident and writer Cao Chang-ching (
US State Department Spokesman Adam Ereli on Monday said Chen's name-change plan would alter the "status quo" and thus the US does not support "changes of terminology for government-controlled enterprises or economic and cultural offices abroad" as Chen had proposed.
"Taiwan is a small country while the US is a big one. The big one will remain oblivious if the small one keeps on seeking approval from the big one," Koo said.
Koo said Taiwan must stand its ground on the name-rectification issue despite US opposition.
"As long as Taiwan holds fast to its stance, the US will change," Koo said.
Ruan Ming (
Ruan is a former special assistant to the late general secretary of the Communist Party of China Hu Yaoban (
"Why is that you [the US] can call Taiwan by the name Taiwan, yet allow not Taiwan to call itself Taiwan?" Ruan said.
The two books presented by Cao yesterday were titled Value of Independence (
Ruan, who has been a citizen of Taiwan for two years, suggested to Cao that he might want to give his new books to the US as a present to remind the US of its original values.
Senior Presidential Adviser Peng Ming-min (
"These people should feel ashamed" in contrast to the reality and truth about Taiwan's status Cao has grasped, Peng said.
Peng, who is widely regarded as the godfather of the nation's independence movement, said he hopes Cao's books will help inspire and educate people in Taiwan.
With the legislative elections less than two days away, former president Lee Teng-hui (
Unlike many Chinese dissidents who call for democratic reforms in China yet appear hesitant when it comes to the issue of Taiwan independence, Cao, a New York-based political commentator, advocates Taiwan's right to self-determination.
Lee expressed gratitude for Cao's support of Taiwan independence and said Cao's independent judgment originates in his believe in the value of liberty and democracy.
While praising Cao's persistence in believing the "truth," Lee criticized the "no truth, no president" slogan of the pan-blue camp as "a truth that had been manufactured, a remnant of the party-state consciousness."
Aside from Lee and the several senior presidential advisors, Cao was also joined by other guests such as National Policy Advisor Alice King (
While Cao has written hundreds of articles for leading journals in the US, Taiwan and Hong Kong pushing the cause of independence for Tibet, Taiwan and Xinjiang, and endorsing democratic reforms in China, this was the first time he has released his books in Taiwan.
In the book titled The Value of Independence, Cao conveys his views on Taiwan independence and outlines his long-held stance on Tibet and Xinjiang's right to self-determination.
American Values details his observations of the US values gathered during his 18-year stay in the country.
TENSIONS: The Chinese aircraft and vessels were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a joint air and sea military exercise, the Ministry of National Defense said A relatively large number of Chinese military aircraft and vessels were detected in Taiwan’s vicinity yesterday morning, apparently en route to a Chinese military exercise in the western Pacific, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. In a statement, the ministry said 36 Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft, including J-16 fighters and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers, crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait or an extension of it, and were detected in the southern and southeastern parts of Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) from 5:20am to 9:30am yesterday. They were headed toward the western Pacific to take part in a
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
CASES SLOWING: Although weekly COVID-19 cases are rising, the growth rate has been falling, from 90 percent to 30 percent, 14 percent and 6 percent, the CDC said COVID-19 hospitalizations last week rose 6 percent to 987, while deaths soared 55 percent to 99, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that the recent wave of infections would likely peak this week. People aged 65 or older accounted for 79 percent of the hospitalizations and 90 percent of the deaths, the majority of whom have or had underlying health conditions, CDC data showed. The youngest hospitalized case last week was a six-month-old, who was born preterm and was unvaccinated, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said. The infant had a fever, coughing and a runny nose early this month, but