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
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
RSS