President William Lai’s (賴清德) first Double Ten National Day address indicates that he would not be rash or adopt provocative cross-strait policies, and undercuts international doubt over Lai, experts said yesterday.
China and pro-unification groups in Taiwan have constantly sought to discredit Lai by claiming that he had adopted a “pragmatic” attitude toward Taiwanese independence, National Cheng Kung University political science professor Hung Chin-fu (洪敬富) said.
Lai’s speeches at his inaugural ceremony, the National Day gala on Saturday and the National Day address yesterday adopted the same pragmatic and confident stance on cross-strait affairs, Hung said.
Photo: CNA
Lai’s mention of the Wuchang Uprising in 1911, the Battle of Guningtou, the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis 66 years ago and the Formosa incident in 1979 helped string together Taiwan and the Republic of China (ROC) in Taiwan under the historical perspective of the ROC, Hung said.
Claims that the president is still an independence supporter after these speeches now seem weak, Hung added.
Hung also said that Lai’s speech offered an olive branch to Beijing, stating that both sides could work on climate change, pandemic prevention, and maintaining regional safety on an equal footing and with mutual respect.
National Taiwan University associate professor of political science Chen Shih-min (陳世民) said that Lai mentioned the ROC and the ROC, Taiwan 10 times, which set him apart from his predecessor.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) mentioned the ROC seven times during her National Day address last year and five times in 2022.
Chen said Lai is more accommodating of the ROC’s historical perspective and wants to build national unity to mitigate the possibility of Beijing fomenting dissent within Taiwan.
Commenting on his National Day gala statements at the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Central Standing Committee meeting, Lai said the speech was in line with the DPP’s Resolution on Taiwan’s Future, Tsai’s “four musts” policy and his own “four pillars” policy.
The DPP in 1999 adopted the resolution, which states that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation and that any change of status must be decided by the people of Taiwan.
Tsai in her New Year’s Day speech in 2019 said that China must recognize the existence of the ROC, respect the values of democracy and freedom Taiwan’s 23 million people hold dear, resolve cross-strait differences in a peaceful and equitable manner, and engage in negotiations with the government of Taiwan or an institution with a mandate from the government.
Lai’s vision has moved beyond the Taiwan Strait and he set his sights on international affairs, Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) said.
Compared to previous presidents, Lai’s speech is much more friendly and also exhorts Beijing to live up to its international role, Lai I-chung said.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,