An open letter penned by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was published in the opinion pages of several Chinese-language newspapers yesterday, detailing reasons why her party opposes the visit of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
Tsai said the protests were aimed at preventing the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) from leaning too heavily toward China.
While the DPP does not oppose negotiations between Taiwan and China, Tsai said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government's insistence that Chen come to Taiwan was an attempt to “cover up its low approval rating by staging a superficial ceremony on cross-strait reconciliation.”
“The Chinese Nationalist Party [KMT] has employed all resources and publicity channels to advertise Chen Yunlin's visit to Taiwan as if the whole country were brimming with expectations about the visit and no voice of opposition could be found,” the letter read. “However, that is not true.”
“As the opposition party, the DPP needs to stand up and voice its stern stance at a time when the governing authority is [fawning] all over China as it remains oblivious to public feelings and oppresses freedom of speech,” it said.
“All Republic of China [ROC] national flags at the Grand Hotel [where Chen is staying during his five-day visit] were hidden because Chen asked the government to do so” Tsai said in the letter. “Taiwan is our country. If the country wanted to conduct cross-strait talks with China with dignity, why should it hide the national flag when the guests arrived?”
She said the move by the government had humiliated the country, adding that Ma, after being the head of the state for six months, still had not grasped the concept of what sovereignty meant.
“In the not too distant future, will Taiwan still have its sovereignty? Will Taiwanese have other options besides accepting unification?” she wrote.
Tsai also asked DPP members not to use violence “any time, in any circumstances” during their protest against the ARATS chief, adding that “democracy was the DPP's only weapon.”
In a visit to former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday, Tsai said the DPP would soon propose a law stipulating that individuals and political parties that participate in cross-strait negotiations must declare any investments and economic interest in China so the public could see any potential conflicts of interest.
Lu meanwhile urged the government to release records of government officials and politicians going to China.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) issued a statement last night dismissing Tsai's allegations as “groundless.”
The statement said cross-strait negotiations being conducted by the Straits Exchange Foundation and ARATS were under the scrutiny of domestic laws, the Taiwanese public and the media.
While the first round of cross-strait negotiations took place in Beijing in June this year, the statement said, it only made sense to hold the second round in Taipei.
The government has exerted its efforts to protect national security and advance peace in the Taiwan Strait and East Asia in accordance with public opinion and regulations, the statement said.
Such policies have won the recognition and support of the US, Japan, the EU and other allies, it added.
The statement also said the government had invited Tsai to discuss national affairs since the new government was formed on May 20 but she had declined the invitation.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
‘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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with