Green Party Taiwan and the Economic Democracy Union yesterday voiced objections to Taiwan joining the Beijing-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), a topic expected to be covered at a meeting between Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) today in Kinmen County.
Green Party Taiwan co-convener Lee Ken-cheng (李根政) told a press conference in Taipei that the party is against the nation’s bid to become a member of the AIIB if the application process is opaque or subordinates Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Lee said that the Ministry of Finance’s submission of an application in late March to become a founding member of the bank had fueled controversy in Taiwan, with critics saying the authorities had failed to follow proper procedures and had compromised the nation’s sovereignty.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Beijing rejected Taiwan’s application, saying it would only grant Taiwan a seat on the AIIB’s board of founding members if the nation agrees to its “one China” policy.
Lee said that the AIIB is China’s strategy to boost its global influence by lending capital to developing countries for basic infrastructure and to appeal to European countries that are struggling financially.
In doing so, China would have an outlet for its surplus cash and undermine the US dollar, Lee said, adding that he doubted developing countries’ opinions would weigh much in the AIIB.
Economic Democracy Union convener Lai Chung-chiang (賴中強) said that Taiwan should not be part of an organization aimed at boosting Chinese political and economic influence.
China also has an atrocious track record of damaging the environment and ignoring human rights while building its own infrastructure, he said.
As China claims Taiwan as its territory, Taiwan should not pander to the strategic development goals of a country that harbors such aggression, Lai said.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration should not misappropriate the nation’s reserve funds or other money to invest in the AIIB, Lai said, adding that the union would lobby legislators to block proposals for the organization.
In related news, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) on Thursday posted on Facebook a screenshot of records of a conversation on the Line app, which he said shows that the government is mobilizing people to welcome Zhang’s visit to Kinmen.
“We are looking for some people to give him a warm welcome. The wage for one-and-a-half days from 1pm to 6pm on May 23 and 8am to 6pm on May 24 is NT$1,500. Everyone can get a T-shirt, a lunch box and drinks. Transportation is also available,” the message read.
The sender of the message said the job is to form a crowd around activities that Zhang would participate in when he is in Kinmen, including meetings with Hsia, Kinmen County Commissioner Chen Fu-hai (陳福海) and local business leaders, as well as visits to a reservoir and some local manufacturers.
“Some people are organizing a cheering squad to flatter Zhang,” Tuan said. “Is this sort of pomp and circumstance necessary to welcome Chinese officials?
“If they really think that they are warmly welcomed, they might misjudge the situation and have some misconceptions,” he said.
The Mainland Affairs Council did not comment on the allegations.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan, Tseng Wei-chen and Peng Hsien-chun
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