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
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS