The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on Beijing to engage in dialogue with Taipei to preserve regional peace and stability after Beijing announced two days of military exercises around Taiwan, while the two main opposition parties called the drills intolerable.
China’s military exercises only demonstrate its authoritarian form of government, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) said, calling Beijing the “real troublemaker.”
Despite the international community’s focus on Taiwan, Beijing still announced “punishment” drills, showing that it is attempting to wreck the “status quo,” Wu said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“Beijing is using the threat of war to undermine peace — an authoritarian government seeking to subvert democracy,” he said, calling on the Chinese government to halt its “unjustified actions.”
Taipei is willing to have constructive dialogue under the principles of equality and mutual respect, he added.
“China must face the reality of the existence of the Republic of China in Taiwan and must respect the choice of leaders through election by popular vote,” Wu said. “Both sides should engage in dialogue instead of confrontation.”
Separately, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) called on China to avoid escalating tensions.
“We strongly urge the mainland Chinese government to exercise restraint, avoid escalating tensions and cherish the achievements of peaceful development [across the Taiwan Strait],” Chu wrote on Facebook. “It is imperative to jointly maintain regional stability.”
“We must remind the mainland that the mainstream public opinion in Taiwan opposes any attempts to change the status quo by force,” he wrote. “The erroneous signals sent by the drills have already harmed the prospects for a peaceful cross-strait development.”
Chu also called on President William Lai (賴清德) and his national security team to present pragmatic and effective methods to deal with such a contingency.
He reiterated the KMT’s “2D” national security strategy to enhance national defense and engage in cross-strait dialogue.
The Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) in a news release said that China was interfering in Taiwan’s democracy and infringing against its sovereignty, and called for an end to the intimidation tactics.
“In facing its hostile military actions and propaganda campaign, Taiwanese society must become more mature, in using the ‘resilient society’ to face these challenges,” the party said. “The TPP is insistent on basing interactions on principles of mutual awareness, mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual cooperation in dealing with these challenges.”
“We shall engage in interaction to reduce hostilities, misjudgement and the chance of erroneous shots fired, thereby creating an environment for peace,” it said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about