President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait policies have significantly leaned toward China, prompting Taiwan’s allies such as the US to question whether Taiwan will remain of strategic significance to them, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai made the remarks at a seminar hosted by the Taiwan New Century Foundation on an overview of resumed cross-strait talks.
Tsai said that only when Taiwan has sufficient national defense capabilities can the government adequately deal with cross-strait relations as defense is the most important bargaining chip on the negotiation table.
She said that when forging ties, it is vital for the government to strike a balance with the nation’s domestic allies and not only improve its relationship with China, but also relations with other countries such as the US. The government must take into account how the US positions Taiwan in its global strategies, she said.
Saying that countries such as the US, Japan and even some neighboring Asian countries are concerned that Taiwan is leaning toward China, Tsai said that such a situation would not only hinder Taiwan from developing its strategic vantage to the fullest, but also may lead these countries to call into question whether Taiwan still harbors any strategic significance.
Tsai criticized the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration for making drastic changes to the nation’s China policy, which she described as “very disturbing.”
The languishing stock market has become the biggest challenge for the government and the Ma administration might think its China policy is a quick fix, she said.
However, Tsai expressed doubt on the matter, claiming that the administration lacks structure and has not fully considered matters concerning national security.
Tsai said the government has been working on dealing with the plummeting domestic stock exchange but has failed to provide effective policies to respond to the issue.
Although the government keeps offering policies that open up the nation to China, such as easing investment in China and allowing Taiwanese wafer manufacturers to invest in 12-inch wafer plants in China, in an attempt to improve the domestic stock market, the policies themselves are contradictory, she said.
She wondered whether deregulation of Taiwanese investment in China is conducive to Taiwan’s stock market or to China’s.
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