The DPP yesterday warned the public to be wary of the "one country, two systems" formula Beijing has suggested for Taiwan's unification with China, criticizing the communist authorities for trampling on the autonomy of Hong Kong since it imposed the formula on the territory six years ago.
The DPP's Central Standing Committee said Beijing had betrayed its promise to give Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy for 50 years, making the world suspicious about how it could fulfill its promises regarding unification.
"We hope the Taiwanese public can be clear-headed about China's so-called `one country, two systems' myth and its `one China' claim," the party said in a statement.
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (
"I was on a blacklist and forbidden to return to Taiwan a decade ago," Lee said. "As a democracy activist, I can totally understand why tens of thousands of Hong Kong people need to take to the streets to protest against Beijing's limiting their freedom."
"The state security law is reminiscent of Taiwan's authoritarian past when the ruling KMT regime blacklisted and persecuted political activists," he said.
Under an anti-subversion law, certain social activities that originated in China could be banned in Hong Kong, Lee said.
"It is such a stark contrast between Hong Kong and Taiwan as here we are talking about a referendum law while in Hong Kong, its people are facing the curtailment of their freedom," Lee said.
Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Vice Chairman of Mainland Affairs Council, said yesterday that Hong Kong should gradually enhance its interaction with Taiwan.
"At the every moment, Hong Kong should actively express its respect for the interaction between the civil societies of Taiwan and Hong Kong, and further develop its ties based on existing bases and customary practices,"Chen said.
According to Hong Kong correspondents with a New York-based online news agency, Dajiyuan.com, the demonstration was joined by more than one million people.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique