The Taiwanese representative office in Washington responded sharply on Friday to an op-ed article that quoted critics accusing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of undermining the country’s sovereignty.
The article, published in the Washington Times, was written by Taiwan Institute of Political, Economic and Strategic Studies chief executive Parris Chang (張旭成), and the rebuttal came from Frank Wang (王億), director of the press division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Washington.
Chang said in the op-ed that most Taiwanese opinion polls showed Ma trailing Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in the upcoming presidential election.
“Critics fault Mr Ma’s government for pre-emptive concessions to the communist government [in China] and charge that his strategy has undermined Taiwan’s sovereignty and compromised its de facto independence,” he added.
In his response, Wang accused Chang of alleging that Ma’s policies have undermined sovereignty, when Chang had actually said that Ma’s critics made the charge.
Wang said in a press release issued from Washington that Chang’s op-ed was “misinforming.”
He went on to claim that Ma’s policies had improved cross-strait relations and enhanced regional stability and prosperity “a fact that [US] President [Barack] Obama and [US] Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have publicly praised.”
Politicians from both major parties have expressed concern about the way the Obama administration has supported Ma in a seeming attempt to boost his re-election chances.
There are worries that Washington will be accused of interfering in the Taiwanese elections at a time when it should be strictly neutral.
Chang said that Ma’s economic engagement with China had been responsible for capital flight and accelerated the movement of Taiwan’s manufacturing to China.
“Consequently, more that 1 million blue-collar and white-collar workers in Taiwan have lost their jobs,” he said. “While Taiwan’s close economic links with China have benefited Taiwan’s big businesses and foreign multinationals, unemployment remains high, and incomes are shrinking.”
“Given Mr Ma’s present high disapproval rating, running close to 70 percent, if polling were held now, he would probably lose his re-election bid, and Taiwanese voters would likely elect the first female president in Taiwan’s history,” Chang wrote.
Washington-based observers said that it was unusual for TECRO to respond on Ma’s behalf during an election campaign and that it left the “troubling impression” that Ma was using government staff to support his re-election bid.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated