The people of both Taiwan and China must work together to welcome the 21st century, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said yesterday in a speech to university students in Beijing, while emphasizing that Taiwanese independence is not representative of the people of Taiwan.
"However large the world is, is how large the opportunity for China is. Let us together seize this chance, with our hands interlocked and hearts connected, with our feet firmly on the ground, to welcome a 21st century that is in waiting for the Chinese people of both sides [of the Taiwan Strait]," Soong said, speaking to students at Tsinghua University yesterday.
During his stop at the elite Chinese university, which was part of his scheduled agenda for a historic, nine-day tour of China, Soong spoke about the relationship between Taiwan and China.
PHOTO: EPA
Throughout his speech, Soong said that the consolidation of Taiwanese consciousness in the years of the nation's self-rule should not be equated with the Taiwanese independence movement.
Those advocating Taiwanese independence do not represent the island, Soong said.
Whereas Taiwanese consciousness is the natural result of a long passage of history and recognizes the connection between the people of Taiwan and the land, Soong said, Taiwanese independence is a plan to completely cut off Taiwan from the mainland.
"It cannot be denied; Taiwanese consciousness has been manipulated by Taiwanese independence. However, this sort of political scheme has confused the real voices of the Taiwanese people," Soong said in the speech.
Furthermore, he said, while the PFP has a strong love for its Taiwanese homeland and a sense of Taiwanese consciousness, it also has a deep bond to all the Chinese people and is adamantly against Taiwanese independence.
"Our long-standing position is that Taiwanese independence is a dead-end and has never been a feasible option for the PFP," he said.
Despite Soong's emphasis on his party's love for Taiwan, however, he made no mention of the party's, and his, often-stated support for the Republic of China in the speech, choosing to merely focus on the nation's economic success, labeling it the "Taiwan experience," and on his connection to China.
The basic way to solve the problems between China and Taiwan, is not through military means but through the common wishes of the political talent on both sides for the good of the people, Soong said. The future of both countries depends on the deepening of mutual understanding, he added.
"Only by placing the good of the people as their first priority will both sides of the Taiwan Strait exert all efforts to find a resolution acceptable to both sides. In mathematical terms, we must find the greatest common denominator of both sides," Soong said.
"Both sides are my home. On one side are my ancestors, but on the other are our descendants. No one is willing to give up one side in order to win the acknowledgement of the other," Soong said.
Soong also indirectly criticized the current administration when responding to a student's question about President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) decision to decline China's offer to reduce customs duties on a number of Taiwanese agricultural products.
In answering the question, Soong said the reason the government has decided not to accept an offer that would clearly help the Taiwanese people, is because certain individuals have confused thinking and have not thought the issue through.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS