Both Google’s threat to withdraw from the Chinese market and the reaction of Western countries to the heavy sentence handed down to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波) may be signs that the honeymoon period between the West and China has ended, Chinese democracy activist Wang Dan (王丹) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks at a press conference held in Taipei attended by a number of political activists voicing their support for Google and for Liu.
“Western governments’ reactions to Liu’s sentence and the Google incident show that the honeymoon period between the West and China has come to an end,” Wang said. “In the past, Western countries looked only at the economic interests that the Chinese market represents and pretended that they didn’t see the Chinese government’s violations of human rights.”
PHOTO: CNA
He said Western enterprises may have thought they could avoid political intervention by the Chinese government if they stayed away from sensitive issues, but that is apparently not the case.
“You may try hard not to get involved in politics, but politics in China involve you,” Wang said.
The host of a radio political commentary show, Yang Hui-ju (楊蕙如), shared Wang’s views.
Citing the example of how online social networking service Plurk was blocked last year, Yang said: “Even if you do not provoke China, China may sanction you just because they don’t like something you say.”
Plurk was blocked in China last year because many Taiwanese joined a movement on the site to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the death of Taiwanese democracy pioneer Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), Yang said.
Several other online social networking services, such as Facebook and Twitter, have been blocked in China temporarily or permanently to prevent the spread of certain information.
Wang predicted that the Chinese government would eventually lose the Internet battle, “since the Internet has become an essential part of so many people’s lives nowadays, so you can’t really control it.”
“I believe the Internet will become a very important tool in China’s democracy movement,” he said.
On the other hand, Victims of Investment in China Association chairman William Kao (高為邦) said China has not changed despite economic reforms that began 30 years ago.
“Thirty years ago, [dissident] Wei Jingsheng [魏京生] was imprisoned for criticizing the government. Thirty years have passed and Liu Xiaobo is still being imprisoned for criticizing the government,” Kao said. “The only thing that has changed in the past 30 years is that Chinese Communist Party officials have transformed from a group of bandits in Mao Zedong [毛澤東]-style outfits to frauds in suits,” Kao said.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Yen Sheng-kuan (顏聖冠) urged President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — who Yen said used to voice support for the democracy movement in China before becoming president — to follow the example of national leaders in other countries and call for Liu’s release and support Google’s withdrawal from China.
Taiwan Youth Anti-Communist Crops chairman Paul Lin (林保華) said Internet users in Taiwan should send flowers to Google headquarters to show their support for the company, as users in China and Hong Kong have done.
Also See: Google wins praise and scolding over China move
Also See: Yahoo slammed for Google support
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of