President-elect Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) selection of former Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) as Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) chairwoman will not have a major impact on cross-strait negotiations and the public should not overreact to the appointment, analysts said.
Lai’s pro-independence stance and reputation as a vocal critic of China made her appointment a shock to many, with political figures across party lines criticizing Ma for choosing Lai to win support from voters who opposed him.
Members of the KMT caucus have also condemned Ma for not appointing “loyal” members of his party who campaigned tirelessly for his presidential bid. Ma should prioritize party “faithful” for Cabinet appointments, KMT legislators said, with some even calling on Lai to turn down the post to avoid a negative impact on cross-strait relations.
Vincent Chen (陳文賢), a researcher at National Chengchi University’s Institute of International Relations, brushed off the reactions to Lai’s appointment as overly dramatic, saying that Lai would play the role of executor of Ma’s cross-strait policies and would not affect cross-strait negotiations.
“The function of the MAC is to execute the government’s cross-strait policies and so the main concern here should be the personnel’s execution skills, rather than her political stance,” Chen said.
Chen said Beijing would not pay too much attention to the appointment and would focus its energy on monitoring Ma’s cross-strait policies and decisions.
Li Weiyi (李維一), spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), declined to comment on Ma’s choice of Lai at a press conference on Wednesday and said Beijing only cared about developments in cross-strait relations.
Li went on to say Beijing looked forward to working with the new administration on improving cross-strait relations based on the so-called “1992 consensus,” calling it a “foundation to resolve practical matters” and solidify peace across the Taiwan Strait.
In response to concerns over the possible delay of the implementation of cross-strait charter flights in July because of Lai’s appointment, Li said China had put great effort into pursuing weekend charter flights and a higher quota for Chinese tourists and that Beijing expected both sides to continue cooperative efforts and implement the plans.
Chen said Li’s response reflected Beijing’s reluctance to ruin the atmosphere of cross-strait reconciliation following Ma’s election and that Ma’s views, rather than Lai’s, would be the key factor in cross-strait talks.
Tung Li-wen (董立文), a professor at Nanhua University’s Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies, said the function of the MAC was overemphasized and that Lai would not be a decision-maker on cross-strait policies in Ma’s administration.
Tung said the TAO’s comments showed that Beijing was only interested in Ma’s stance.
“The impact of the appointment of Lai has been exaggerated. China’s comments on Wednesday were meant to remind Ma that the implementation of his cross-strait promises would require cooperation from China,” Tung said.
Facing criticism over the appointment, Ma said that Lai would help his administration find common ground with the more than 5 million people who did not vote for him.
Ma praised Lai’s expertise in international and cross-strait affairs, adding that she supported his stance of “no independence, no unification and no use of force” and agreed with the “1992 consensus.”
“Ms Lai has said that she agrees with my cross-strait stance. I think the public should give her a chance and not reject her before she has assumed the post,” Ma told reporters after an event in Taipei County on Tuesday.
The president-elect dismissed allegations that Lai was recommended by former president and TSU spiritual leader Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
In a show of strength, Lai appeared with Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman-designate Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) on Wednesday night and assured the public that she would carry out Ma’s policies.
“I repeat: My views on cross-strait affairs are synonymous with those of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou,” Lai said.
Liao Da-chi (廖達琪), a political science professor at National Chungshan University, affirmed Lai’s expertise on international affairs and her long-term dedication to fighting for the nation’s international recognition, and said the public should give her and Ma the benefit of the doubt and reserve their judgment.
Cross-party cooperation and the power struggle between the MAC and the SEF, however, would be a challenge for Ma after his inauguration, Liao said.
Chen said the appointment of Lai reflected Ma’s attempts to curb the influence of former KMT chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) think tank, including Chiang.
“Ma is telling Lien and the KMT old guard that he will take full charge of cross-strait policy,” Chen said.
Concerns from pan-green supporters about Lien and the KMT’s pro-China image will not disappear so easily, however, Chen said.
‘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
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
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
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
RSS