The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday released a strongly worded statement condemning the use of force against participants of the “Jasmine Revolution” in China.
Chinese authorities have cracked down hard on the sporadic protests, inspired by the protest movement sweeping much of North Africa and parts of the Middle East, rounding up dozens of activists and human rights lawyers last month amid calls for protests in as many as 18 major Chinese cities.
The DPP’s statement came one day after Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said Beijing should embrace democratic reform.
In the DPP statement, the party said Taipei should use the government’s promotion of cross-strait ties to incorporate values of democracy and human rights into agreements with Beijing to encourage “China’s democratic transformation.”
“We ask that the government support the Chinese pro--democracy activists with -substantive -measures. It would show Taiwan’s firm resolve to uphold the values of democracy, freedom and human rights,” the statement read.
These ideals are “universal values and should not be taken lightly,” it said.
“China has signed the two international human rights covenants … but continues to make these violations of human rights and impose restrictions on speech,” it added.
Beijing has signed, but not ratified, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Taiwanese government officials, including Wu, on Tuesday spoke in favor of political reform for China, but have stopped short of criticizing Beijing’s crackdown on protesters and the media.
Wu told the legislature that despite China’s economic rise, “it still had much room for improvement in aspects of freedom, human rights, democracy and judicial [independence],” adding that China should meet the protests “more positively.”
The DPP statement followed earlier remarks by DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Feb. 21, who called on Taiwan to give more attention to the “Jasmine Revolution” in China, calling democracy a “safety net” for Taiwan in its dealings with Beijing.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
RSS