An advocacy group focusing on opposition to the so-called “one China” principle and the erosion of Taiwan’s sovereignty under President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration is set to be established on Monday, the group’s founding members told a press conference yesterday.
The Anti-One China Principle Union is a non-partisan group cofounded by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山), Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) and former DPP lawmaker Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮).
Acknowledgement of the “one China” principle — the core strategy of China’s Taiwan policy — could jeopardize Taiwan’s sovereignty, democracy, freedom and human rights, they said.
“However, the Ma administration’s pro-Beijing stance and the DPP’s failure to monitor the administration and its tendency to move to a more China-friendly position have aroused concern over the gradual erosion of sovereignty,” Chen said.
Chai will serve as the president of the union, with Chen and Hsu as vice presidents, Hsu said, adding that other notable members include former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃) and former Examination Yuan president Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文). Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) and former presidential adviser Peng Ming-min (彭明敏) are to serve as consultants.
Chai and Chen criticized former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) for his “pro-Beijing position.”
Responding to the criticism yesterday afternoon in a radio interview with Cheng Hong-yi (鄭弘儀), Hsieh denied that he “had betrayed Taiwan’s independence movement” and said that “closer engagement with China did not mean surrender.”
Hsieh, who advocates a moderate China policy with his initiative of “constitutions with different interpretations,” described himself as a “pragmatic idealist” and very different from the “hardliners” of the pro-independence wing, such as Chai and Chen.
“They insist on their belief, while I’m an idealist who focuses on reality. We should work together to strive for Taiwan’s dignity,” Hsieh said.
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
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
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Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
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