Sat, Apr 29, 2023 page3

• ROC, Taiwan ‘cup and water,’ Mayor Hou You-yi says

  • By Wang Chien-hao and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, staff writer, with CNA
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  Taiwan and the Republic of China (ROC) are mutually dependent entities, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, using a “water and cup” analogy to describe them.

  The strengths of Taiwanese society can be consolidated under the realization that the ROC and Taiwan are inseparably bound and neither can survive without the other, said Hou, who is widely considered to be the frontrunner for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) nomination for next year’s presidential election.

  Hou used the “water and cup” analogy on the sidelines of a session at the New Taipei City Council a day after he used it in response to KMT Taipei City Councilor Lin Ching-chieh’s (林金結) question about whether China is a friend or foe.

  

  New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi speaks to reporters in New Taipei City yesterday.

  Photo: CNA

  “The ROC is a cup and Taiwan is the water in it,” he said on Thursday, adding: “If the cup breaks, the water will spill.”

  National security is paramount: Without it, everything would be lost, so the nation must forge a peaceful path that ensures the perpetual existence and prosperity of Taiwan and the ROC, he said.

  Taiwan should pursue friendly dialogue with Beijing on the basis of dignity and equality while bolstering national defense, he added.

  

  Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou, front row, second right, gestures after speaking at Tunghai University in Taichung on Thursday.

  Photo: CNA

  New Power Party (NPP) Chairwoman Claire Wang (王婉諭) yesterday said that Hou’s analogy was an attempt to put Taiwan back into the ROC bottle, which runs counter to the consensus in Taiwan.

  Taiwan is gaining recognition and the reality of the nation’s distinct identity from its China is dawning around the world, Wang said.

  It is China’s problem that it is angered by the merest show of acceptance of Taiwan by the international community, she said, adding that Hou should condemn Beijing’s outrageous behavior instead of confusing the world with bad analogies.

  The NPP supports the sovereignty and independence of Taiwan, and resolutely opposes any scheme that would incorporate it into China, she said, adding that Taiwan must walk its own path under its rightful name.

  Meanwhile, Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), who has said he would seek the KMT nomination for president, criticized the government’s cross-strait policies and vowed to stop the “harassment” of Taiwan by Chinese warplanes if elected to the top office next year.

  He was asked about China after a speech to students at Tunghai University in Taichung.

  China is primarily concerned with its economic development, as it faces great pressure to sustain the livelihoods of its people and address the high unemployment among young college graduates, Gou said.

  China does not want war, either, “but Taiwan cannot mess around with independence,” he said.

  “They think Taiwan belongs to them. Then let them say: ‘We will maintain the status quo’ and keep cross-strait relations in a gray zone,” he said.

  While Taiwan is “not the top priority” for China, many politicians in Taiwan try to stoke anti-China sentiment to boost their election campaigns.

  Arms purchases by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government are bad policy, he said, adding that he would turn Taiwan into a “tech island” not an “ammunition depot.”

  Gou said he favored “a dignified peace” and “negotiations between equals.”

  If elected president, the “harassment” of Taiwan by Chinese warplanes would stop, because his focus on economic development would bring benefits to China, he said.
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