Beijing needs to lift bans on Taiwanese Internet news sites in China if it is to move toward repairing "volatile" relations in the aftermath of the passage of its "Anti-Secession" Law, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
In an exclusive interview with the Taipei Times, Wu said China would have to begin respecting public opinion in Taiwan and renounce the use of military force under any circumstances in order to repair the damage caused by the recently approved law.
Describing the cross-strait situation as volatile, he said the removal of blocks on online news sites from Taiwan was the first step towards demonstrating a respect for democratic society and public opinion.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
"There is no exception. All news service sites have been blocked by China. Under such circumstances, how can China understand Taiwan? And if they can' t understand Taiwan, how can they understand our democracy, or see how Taiwan's democracy could contribute to China's development?" he said.
"So the first thing that has to be done is that all Internet service needs to be open to all. They need to let Chinese academics, officials and the people understand what the Taiwanese are thinking and doing," he said.
He said Beijing should also respect Taiwan's right to international participation, particularly in the non-political, non-governmental sector.
On March 14, while delivering the nation's official response to Beijing's Anti-Secession Law, Wu said the Chinese government should apologize to the Taiwanese people by actions, not words. He called on Beijing to repair relations with conciliatory gestures.
Asked whether the government had any specific policies to counter the new law, Wu pointed to the significance of strong support from the international community.
"The first level [of the government's response], and the most important level that we are undertaking, is to appeal to the international community to understand the problems and the viciousness of the Anti-Secession Law, and the problems the law will create in the future," he said.
Judging from the lack of reports on any abnormal Chinese military activities, war was not imminent, he said, although he quickly added that "there continues to be a danger in the area."
"I think the best way to deal with it is trying to bring down the tension on one hand, and work with the international community to make sure the Chinese side does not do anything stupid," Wu said.
He pointed to this Saturday's rally sponsored by the Democratic Progressive Party as an example of action that indicates that "we don't want to be bullied by China."
He said that planning was underway for him to travel abroad to lobby for support against China's new law, but nothing was confirmed.
Saying the law was a "new element of danger ? added into already complicated cross-strait relations," Wu said the council would be closely observing any follow-up legislation.
"We need to assess and continue to asses the impact of the law -- and of course the law is just a preliminary political statement that has been codified -- there might be other legislation related to the law. We will continue to watch very carefully what China might do in the near future to make the situation worse," Wu said, referring to Beijing's possible enactment of legislation on the mobilization of defense forces.
He said that while peace and stability, along with the development of cross-strait relations, were the nation's primary long term policy goals, "we need to handle cross-strait policies in a much more cautious manner."
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS