The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on Beijing to respect Taiwan’s democracy and people’s freedom of choice, and refrain from seeking to influence Taiwan’s elections, in the wake of recent comments made by high-ranking Chinese officials.
Chinese National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qinglin (賈慶林) said on Friday that the (so-called) “1992 consensus” was the foundation of cross-strait negotiations.
If that consensus was not recognized, negotiations would come to a halt and agreements already signed could not be implemented, he said, adding that the result would be renewed cross-strait instability that could adversely impact the interests of people in both Taiwan and China.
Jia reiterated that all topics could be discussed under the “one China” principle and the desire of Taiwanese for greater international participation could be “reasonably accommodated” through negotiations.
“The DPP calls on Beijing to listen to the voice of Taiwanese carefully, because it is only by doing so that we can establish a long-term and stable foundation for cross-strait engagement,” DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
Jia described the “1992 consensus” as an understanding reached in 1992 that “both sides could orally interpret its insistence on the one China principle,” Chen said.
Jia’s comments about the consensus differ considerably from those of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who maintains that the consensus allows “one China, different interpretations,” Chen said.
In addition, Taiwanese were far from happy with the “arrangements” Beijing made for Taiwan’s participation in international events in recent years, as they have tended to list Taiwan as a province of China, Chen said.
“These arrangements prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ma’s ‘flexible diplomacy’ and faith in the so called ‘1992 consensus’ have achieved nothing of substance,” he added.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Former Taiwan People’s Party chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) may apply to visit home following the death of his father this morning, the Taipei Detention Center said. Ko’s father, Ko Cheng-fa (柯承發), passed away at 8:40am today at the Hsinchu branch of National Taiwan University Hospital. He was 94 years old. The center said Ko Wen-je was welcome to apply, but declined to say whether it had already received an application. The center also provides psychological counseling to people in detention as needed, it added, also declining to comment on Ko Wen-je’s mental state. Ko Wen-je is being held in detention as he awaits trial
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