President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday reassured China-based businesspeople that he would follow former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) cross-strait policy to facilitate healthy and orderly exchanges with Beijing and build a resilient economy.
“As president, I have three missions. First, I will follow president Tsai’s ‘four commitments’ to ensure that the country continues to exist and survive,” Lai told participants at a Lunar New Year event in Taipei hosted by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
Lai said his second mission is to uphold the “four pillars of peace” by bolstering national defense, developing a growing and resilient economy, building partnerships with democratic countries and avoiding war by preparing for one.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The third mission is to take care of the lives of Taiwan’s 23 million people, Lai said.
“Taiwan welcomes healthy and orderly exchanges with China, as long as they proceed in a reciprocal and dignified manner without any preconditions,” he said.
After Lai concluded his speech, Xiamen Taiwanese Business Association vice chairman Yeh Yung-sung (葉永松) suddenly stood up and yelled: “Those who are in charge should not make waves, and the Taiwanese business community is against a massive recall of legislators, because it is a waste of people’s time and money.”
Yeh told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the Taiwanese business community in China has affirmed the efforts of the Taiwanese government.
However, “the elections are over, and we should not spend time holding recall elections, which cost time and money,” he said, adding that he was not pressured by anyone to make the statement.
Yeh said he chose to express his opinion on this occasion, because he has no opportunity to personally meet with the president.
SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said Yeh appeared to have chosen the wrong time and place to discuss the issue.
Petitions to recall certain legislators were launched by individuals and civic groups, and any statements regarding the issue should be made in talks with civic groups and constituents, Luo said.
“Nevertheless, Yeh’s move shows that Taiwan is a democratic and diverse country,” Luo said.
SEF Chairman Frank Wu (吳豊山) urged the attendees to continue to have faith in the nation after several Taiwanese business leaders expressed grave concern over the “political chaos” in Taiwan.
“As a democratic country, Taiwan has changed over the past few decades and moved forward in a boisterous manner, with political parties defending their positions and attacking one another,” Wu said.
“The nation will continue to improve and advance as long as there is order amidst chaos,” he said.
Wu also urged China-based businesspeople to convey the message that Taiwanese hope for peace and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait.
Those who work in other countries should tell people there that Taiwanese love peace and always seek to befriend others, he said.
About 380 businesspeople attended the event, the SEF said.
Separately, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the council rejected all applications for entry filed by the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) in Shanghai because it had maliciously blocked Taiwanese businesspeople from returning to the country to attend the event, and they were late in submitting their applications for entry permits.
The TAO was planning to send a 13-people delegation to attend the opening of the Taipei Lantern Festival on Sunday.
Shanghai is home to the most Taiwanese businesspeople in China, but few returned to attend the SEF event, Chiu said.
“During the Shanghai-Taipei City Forum last year, we informed the TAO’s director in Shanghai that it was inappropriate to prevent Taiwanese businesspeople from attending SEF events, which also upset many Taiwanese business personnel,” Chiu said.
“The same thing happened this year, and we took it into consideration when we reviewed the delegation’s applications to enter Taiwan,” Chiu said.
Such a malicious act would also be listed as a factor when reviewing entry applications of TAO officials.
Asked about China’s announcement that it plans to reopen group tourism to Taiwan from Shanghai and its Fujian Province, Chiu said the matter should be discussed between the two agencies tasked with handling cross-strait tourism.
The Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and the Association for Tourism Exchange Across the Taiwan Straits should communicate to ensure the process goes smoothly, he told reporters.
Chiu said he hoped the two sides could resume tourism, but the situation differs from before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He cited frequent incursions by Chinese warplanes and ships near Taiwan, as well as the risks posed by Beijing’s vaguely defined laws targeting independence supporters.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
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