A TSU lawmaker suggested yesterday that the government change the national flag into a Taiwan national banner "to better reflect the truth."
Legislator Chien-Lin Hui-chun (錢林慧君) said on the Legislative Yuan floor that while the national flag is the symbol of a nation, it is not equivalent to the country and since it is only a logo, can be changed at any time.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
The TSU legislator said that under the present ROC flag, Taiwan has no way out from its various diplomatic adversities in the international community.
TSU Legislator Ho Min-hau (何敏豪), apparently in an effort to stump for a "Call Taiwan Taiwan" demonstration to be staged in Kaohsiung tomorrow, asked "why Taiwan cannot be an independent country" given the fact that it is already a sovereign state with its own constitution, president, territory and people.
"Why hasn't Taiwan become an independent state? Because people on this island lack recognition of the truth, " Ho said, adding that Taiwan will eventually fall to China if the people do not strive to change the situation.
TSU Legislator Chiu Yung-jen (邱永仁) said that amid the heated anti-terrorism drive worldwide, Taiwan should not lag behind but should voice its opposition and discontent with Beijing's deployment of hundreds of missiles across the Strait targeting Taiwan.
The TSU supports the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement, which has been launched by a pro-independence group named the Alliance to Campaign for Rectifying the Name of Taiwan.
The alliance plans to organize a rally of about 60,000 people in Kaohsiung Sunday to promote the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement.
The group is also planning to organize an even larger rally of 100,000 people next May as a culmination of the "Call Taiwan Taiwan" movement. Major ideas of the movement include a call for a change in the country's formal designation -- from the ROC to Taiwan -- to fully reflect the fact that Taiwan is a sovereign state.
Also as part of the movement, the TSU lawmakers urged the government last week to designate all domestically issued postage stamps as "Taiwan" stamps instead of ROC stamps.
Also see story:
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS