The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said it would carefully review the names of a pair of party institutions that handle Chinese affairs without succumbing to pressure from Beijing.
The party made the comments in response to a story published in yesterday’s edition of the Chinese-language Apple Daily, which reported that Beijing had pressured the DPP to drop “China” from the names of two soon-to-be-established departments and use “cross-strait” instead.
In a bid to forge a better understanding of China, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said the party would reinstate the Department of China Affairs and establish a Chinese Affairs Committee, which would include academics, party officials and civic groups.
DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said the party would not necessarily change the name, because “if all the countries in the world call the country China, why can’t Taiwan do the same?”
While some academics did recommend changing the name, Lin said “the DPP did not see this as pressure, nor could Beijing pressure the DPP to change the name.”
Speaking to reporters in Taoyuan County yesterday, Su denied there was any Chinese pressure and said the DPP would stand firm on its position.
Former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on the sidelines of an event in Miaoli City that this was not the first time Beijing had pressured the DPP about nomenclature, adding that the party “should stand firm on its position.”
DPP Legislator Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the party should be open-minded and pragmatic.
There is no need to change the name of the Department of China Affairs to the Department of Cross-Strait Affairs because the department was reinstated, Lin said.
“The DPP should be open-minded and the terms of China and cross-strait could co-exist since its goal is to increase bilateral engagement. Nomenclature is a secondary issue,” Lin Chia-lung said.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS