Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Department of International Affairs director Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) recently wrote on her blog about an exchange with a Chinese official late last month in which the official said that the DPP had no future, that Taiwanese independence was a dead-end road and that China had missiles pointed at Taiwan.
In an interview with the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) on Friday, Hsiao said the incident took place late last month in Japan, where she attended a banquet for international representatives hosted by the Fukuoka government.
Hsiao said she shared a table at the Kyushu National Museum with Chinese Consul-General Wu Shumin (武樹民) along with officials from the US consulate, Fukuoka officials and representatives from Thailand and Mongolia.
CHEN CHU
After exchanging name cards, Wu learned that Hsiao was a member of the DPP and said in Chinese that “the DPP’s [Kaohsiung Mayor] Chen Chu (陳菊) has already visited China; after [your people] come, you will change your position of supporting Taiwanese independence,” Hsiao said.
Hsiao said she replied that “Chen’s visit to China does not have any effect on our position of supporting Taiwanese independence. If you are willing to move your missiles, I might be more willing to visit.”
She said Wu responded: “What would removing the missiles do? We can hit you even if we pull the missiles all the way back to Beijing. We don’t just have short-range missiles, we have plenty of mid-range missiles too.”
INTERNATIONAL SPACE
Hsiao quoted Wu as saying: “[The DPP] has done its thing for eight years, but didn’t [former president] Chen Shui-bian [陳水扁] end up in jail? What international space? [President] Ma Ying-jeou [馬英九] accepts the one China principle, so we give him international space. The DPP wants independence for Taiwan, and that is a dead-end road. You are not even from an academic field, so what are you doing here? The DPP is a party without a future unless it accepts the one China [principle].”
In response to Wu’s comments, Hsiao said she turned around and translated Wu’s entire statement into English to the foreign representatives who shared a table with them, which she said embarrassed Wu.
DETERMINATION
Hsiao said in the interview with the Liberty Times that when she encountered people like Wu it made her more upset with the Chinese government.
“You could even say that he poured a whole barrel of oil on my fire for Taiwanese independence,” she said. “It only made our will to fight for Taiwan’s democracy and independence stronger.”
The Ma administration’s policy of pursuing a “diplomatic truce” with China has sent a signal that is excessively generous, she said, adding that China was responding by oppressing and insulting Taiwan.
“Ma’s foreign policy is unrealistic,” she said.
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