Germany’s Free Democratic Party (FDP) on Sunday removed the “one China” policy from its campaign platform ahead of general elections in September and declared its support for the right of Taiwanese to decide their own future.
During the party’s national congress, a coalition of FDP members raised a proposal to remove language relating to the “one China” policy from the party’s platform, saying that it is misleading and gives China’s leaders an excuse to suppress Beijing’s opponents in Hong Kong, eliminate ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and occupy Taiwan by force.
The proposal was approved in a vote by party members.
The FDP also in its election platform affirmed Taiwan’s democracy and freedom, saying it offers an alternative to China’s dictatorship.
The party’s stance includes support for Taiwan’s inclusion in international organizations that do not require statehood for participation, and recommends Germany and the EU to expand their engagement with Taiwan.
It also condemns China’s military intimidation of Taiwan and spells out a plan to work with Germany’s European allies and other democracies, such as Australia, Japan, India and the US, to devise strategies to counter Chinese aggression.
The party said it only supports unification under the premise of a peaceful consensus through dialogue that allows Taiwanese to freely decide their own political future.
Representative to Germany Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) extended his gratitude to the FDP for its support for Taiwanese self-determination.
The “one China” formulation has served as an excuse for international organizations to exclude Taiwan, but it has long been out of date, Shieh said.
The opposition FDP has in the past few years been vocal in its support for Taiwan.
Party members have many times called on the German parliament to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, while the FDP-linked Friedrich Naumann Foundation plans to relocate its Global Innovation Hub to Taipei from Hong Kong this year.
The FDP is polling at 12 percent, putting it in an optimistic position for the elections set for Sept. 26.
‘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
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS