Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that the government’s China-friendly policies have sent a message to the international community that Taiwan will soon become part of China.
Lu, who just returned from a 12-day visit to South Korea and the US, said she was impressed by Seoul’s “soft rise” and internationalization, but added that she was shocked to hear members of political and academic circles in South Korea express concern that Taiwan would soon become part of China.
“It seems the administration’s China-friendly policy has embedded a strong impression that Taiwan will soon become part of China,” she said. “At the same time opposition voices are not loud enough for the international community to hear.”
The friends she met in the US also cautioned that an increasing number of US congressional officials, experts and academics were more interested in China than Taiwan.
“It is a serious matter that deserves the attention of both the ruling and opposition parties,” she said. “The administration does not seem to care much, however. We cannot do a lesser job simply because China is better at lobbying.”
Lu also expressed concern over the administration’s defense policy, saying it was as disturbing as its economic agenda.
Because Washington has yet to approve the administration’s request for F-16C/D fighter jets, Lu urged both the ruling and opposition parties to beef up lobbying efforts in the US capital.
She said she suspected the prospect of obtaining F-16C/D fighter jets was slim because none of the people she talked to in the US indicated or even implied that the request would be approved.
Besides, with the production line for the F-16C/D closing by the end of the year, it will be more difficult to acquire such aircraft in the future, she said.
As for submarines, Lu said the odds of getting them looked thin mainly because the US no longer produces diesel-powered submarines, adding that Washington’s promise to sell them sounded unrealistic.
Instead of relying on the US, Lu urged the country to build its own submarines and fighter jets. She said she was against engaging in an arms race with Beijing, but Taiwan must maintain sufficient defense capability.
On the controversy surrounding the import of US beef, Lu urged the Control Yuan to investigate the negotiating team to determine whether they had committed dereliction of duty or broken any laws during the negotiation process.
Lu said she suspected the negotiation team made careless mistakes and the administration complicated the issue by failing to offer a clear account afterwards, adding that she suspected some people might have capitalized on the matter to deliberately provoke anti-US sentiment.
“I hope the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and private sector will know when to stop,” she said.
In light of the dramatic change across the Taiwan Strait, Lu urged the DPP to “face reality” and propose a new discourse about Taiwan’s sovereignty and Taiwan-China relations.
Lu said Taiwan has been independent since March 23, 1996, when the country held its first presidential election, adding that those who cast ballots on that day recognized Taiwan’s independence with their ballots, she said.
Meanwhile, Lu said she was unlikely to attend a Business and Professional Women summit held in Beijing from May 20 to May 22.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS