The idea that China would scrap its “Anti-Secession” Law out of consideration for the Taiwanese public is just a pipe dream, an academic attending a cross-strait forum said yesterday after the government said China should scrap the law.
“They are either naive or have a low IQ,” said Wang Szu-wei (王思為), a professor at Nanhua University’s department of non-profit organization management. “If [Beijing] had taken into consideration the feelings of the Taiwanese people in the first place, it would never have made the law.”
Wang made the remarks at a forum on “China’s ‘Anti-Secession’ Law and the Development of Cross-Strait Relations” when asked for comment on a Presidential Office statement yesterday marking the law’s fourth anniversary.
The Presidential Office said the “Anti-Secession” Law was “unnecessary” because the cross-strait detente was a reciprocal process in which both sides must show goodwill.
Wang said it was “ridiculous” for a government to make such a remark because a responsible administration should use its leverage to make demands rather than hoping Beijing will show some goodwill.
The statement was “politically incorrect” and “showy diplomatic language aimed at placating the public on a special occasion,” Wang said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was a vocal critic of the law during his terms as Taipei mayor and during his campaign for the presidency. By comparison, he has been quiet on the issue since taking office in May, critics said.
Wang Kun-yi (王崑義), a professor at National Taiwan Ocean University, said the Presidential Office’s statement was as useless as “a dog barking at a train.”
Wang Kun-yi said that while Beijing had never strayed from its goal of unification, it had adjusted its strategy, adopting a softer approach.
A recent example was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s (溫家寶) wish to visit Taiwan, Wang Kun-yi said.
Wen said on Friday that he would like to visit Taiwan someday, even if old age meant he could not walk and had to crawl.
Another example was a reported invitation to former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to visit China, Wang Kun-yi said. While Beijing previously invited only politicians who accepted “one China,” it now welcomes anyone who supports peaceful development in the Strait to visit in any capacity, he said.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) might be the most reluctant to see Lu visit China because Beijing has always insisted on the “one China” principle in dealing with KMT figures, he said.
The incident also highlighted the power struggle within China, he said, adding that many politicians hoped to score political points by making Lu’s trip possible.
George Liu (劉志聰), a researcher at Nanhua University’s Center for Peace and Strategic Studies, said the government’s foreign policy depended entirely on Beijing’s goodwill to gain observer status at the World Health Assembly this year.
“If [Beijing] is happy with Ma’s performance, it might let us in, but if he makes [China] unhappy next year, it will make us suffer,” he said.
Liu blamed the communication platform between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party for bringing about the “Anti-Secession” Law.
Liu said Beijing’s goal was to eliminate support for independence and advance its unification agenda. The KMT on the other had, would do whatever it takes to stay in power, for which it will require China’s assistance, he said.
Later last night, a rally was staged in front of the Presidential Office to protest the “Anti-Secession” Law and the Ma administration’s policies, which the protesters slammed as skewed toward China.
Around 1,000 people participated in the rally organized by the Taiwan National Congress, an alliance of more than 20 local and international groups supporting independence.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG AND CNA
‘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