President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) lashed out at China's "one country, two systems" formula yesterday, saying that Hong Kong and Macau's economic and social failures in the wake of their return to China proved the formula is a fraud.
Calling Hong Kong and Macau a "warning to Taiwan's 23 million people," Chen said. "It is impossible for the two sides of the Taiwan Strait to conform politically as long as China does not have real democratic elections, nationalizes its army and lacks freedom of speech and religion."
The "one country, two systems" formula was supposed to guarantee Hong Kong and Macau would retain their capitalist, free-market system after their return to China's sovereignty.
"Experience has clearly proven the so-called `one country, two systems' that was initially designed for the return of Hong Kong are empty words, false words," Chen said. "The `two systems' is fake, the `one country' is true."
Chen's comments to a group of visiting Taiwanese businesspeople based in Hong Kong and Macau came one day after he called on the Beijing authorities to "address the fact that the Republic of China exists."
"The situation faced by Hong Kong and Macau is not how many promises and guarantees China can give but whether or not China can implement democracy and law and order," Chen said.
Citing China's refusal to allow Hong Kong voters to directly elect their leader in 2007 and their full legislature in 2008, Chen criticized Beijing's attempts to intervene in the territory's politics.
"China's one party, dictatorial system works not only like a bird cage that confines the peoples of Hong Kong and Macau freedom and democratic aspirations, but as a manacle that severely slows Hong Kong and Macau's footsteps toward progress and development," he said.
Chen told his visitors that the people of Taiwan hope for peace, normalization of cross-strait relations and for the people of Hong Kong and Macau to enjoy real freedom and democracy.
"But developments are heading in just the opposite direction," he said.
"The Chinese government has tried to use the `one country, two systems' formula to tackle cross-strait issues," he said. "But the biggest contradiction between two sides of the Strait lies not in their separate governments but in the choice of a democratic system and life styles."
He said the "Anti-Secession" Law enacted by Beijing can't prevent independence sentiments and will only widen the rift between the two sides.
He called on China's leaders to follow the global trend of embracing the universal values of democracy, human rights and peace. He said they should speed up political reforms to make China a democracy and "write a new page of progress and prosperity in history for the Chinese people in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau."
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘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
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS