Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun blasted the opposition leader for pandering to China at the expense of Taiwan's security.
Yu made the remarks at a press conference which was held immediately after KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (
At the press conference, Yu criticized Ma as "smug" and lashed out at him, saying he "should not kowtow to China internationally, yet swell like a rooster domestically."
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"Ma burnishes his personal image by sacrificing Taiwan's interests," Yu said.
`Five nots'
He said Ma's visit can be summed up with "five nots":
First, Ma should not say "one China" means "the Republic of China (ROC)," since international society does not acknowledge such an argument.
"If one China means ROC, is there a People's Republic of China in the world?" Yu said.
Second, Ma should not try to divide Taiwan with his political rhetoric.
"Ma asked China to differentiate who is the major enemy and the minor enemy, which attempts to turn Taiwan's internal conflict into an international conflict between Taiwan and China," Yu said. "Ma has to know that the political competition between the DPP and the KMT is a democratic dispute, not a conflict between two countries."
Third, Ma should not spread the lie of the "1992 consensus."
"Former president Lee Teng-hui (
Fourth, Ma should not propose that the KMT will apply to be an opposition party in China if Beijing lifts its ban on organizing political parties.
"A political party can be loyal to only one country. And if the KMT enrolls as one of China's political parties, to which country will the KMT be loyal?" Yu said.
Fifth, Ma did not protest the more than 800 missiles that China has deployed targeting Taiwan, nor voice Taiwan's resolve to defend itself.
"Ma will mislead the international community into thinking that Taiwan does not care about China's missiles, which hurt's our interests," Yu said.
"It is ironic that Ma reveals that he can tolerate Beijing's autocracy but cannot tolerate Taiwan's democracy," Yu added.
TSU criticism
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus whip David Huang (
Huang said that Ma's suggestion about establishing a military mutual confidence mechanism was impossible, given the imbalance of military capabilities and China's "Anti-Secession" Law stipulating that Beijing can use "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan.
As for Ma's modus vivendi proposal, Huang cited Sha Zukang (沙祖康), the Chinese ambassador to the UN office in Geneva, who said that the proposal would not be acceptable to the Chinese government.
"Sha said before that the `one country, two systems' model is the most peaceful arrangement. I wonder if Ma accepts this," Huang said.
Huang added, "Ma said that the modus vivendi proposal will be based on the `one China' principle as fulfilled by the definition of the `Republic of China.' However, will China take this definition to replace the `People's Republic of China?'"
In terms of the nation's future, Ma said not long ago that "Taiwan independence" is one of the options available, Huang said.
"If Ma is sincere about this, why did Ma describe the `Republic of Taiwan' as China's `principle enemy,' in comparison to its secondary enemy the `Republic of China?'"
"In this regard, does Ma mean that people who support independence as an option for Taiwan's future are also his enemy?" Huang said.
Meanwhile, Yu also urged the KMT to hold talks with the DPP and propose a version of a military procurement bill before it held an economic forum with the Chinese Communist Party.
"In order to prevent Taiwan from being degraded by China, we hope the KMT can work out some consensus with the DPP before it goes to China," Yu said. "We hope it will be a form of conversation. But if they want to debate with us, we accept it."
also see story:
Editorial: The media's Ma-colored glasses
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it