The Presidential Office yesterday expressed “shock” over China’s description of taekwondo Olympic gold medalist Chu Mu-yen (朱木炎) as being from Zhongguo Taibei, but stopped short of criticizing Beijing.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said he had heard from other media outlets that China Central Television (CCTV) said it had made a “technical error.”
The Presidential Office will watch for any developments in the situation, he said.
PHOTO: AP
On Friday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said official Chinese media had stopped referring to Taiwan as Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北, Taipei, China), using instead Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北, Chinese Taipei), calling the development a diplomatic victory.
Wang yesterday declined to speculate on whether Beijing would repeat the “technical error” while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) is attending the Games.
When approached for comment, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said the incident showed the government should not be overly optimistic about cross-strait relations but should be wary of Beijing’s “goodwill.”
DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), meanwhile, said that “obviously Beijing takes every chance to play tricks on Taiwan and downgrade the nation, but Ma’s government is too blind to see Beijing’s real intentions.”
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said Beijing might not move to harm Taiwan before the Olympics, but that what would happen afterward was still unclear.
While visiting Sinjhuang (新莊), Taipei County, Lu said Beijing was playing “the Taiwan card” in an attempt to shift the focus from its brutal crackdown on Tibetan protesters.
“But we don’t know what will happen after the Olympics,” she said, emphasizing that China had made every effort to suppress Taiwan in the international arena and would most likely continue to do so.
Lu said it was dangerous for Ma’s administration to be submissive and let Beijing set the agenda for cross-strait relations.
Meanwhile, Ma hosted a dinner at the Taipei Guest House yesterday to honor former foreign ministers, vowing to push his foreign policy of modus vivendi.
Ma said this would be the guiding spirit of his trip to Latin America next week, in the hope of strengthening ties with diplomatic allies and restoring mutual trust with countries that do not recognize Taiwan, which he said had deteriorated over the past eight years.
Ma said that agreeing to disagree with China was fundamental to the government’s foreign policy and would “protect the interests of the Republic of China, cement relations with diplomatic allies and restore mutual trust with non-allied countries or countries that have a great impact on the nation.”
The point of this “practical” approach, Ma said, was to use the country’s power, both soft and hard, to attain its goal.
The president also said his transit stops in the US would be simple and that he would not engage in any activities not in line with protocol.
Ma said that the nation’s limited international space was the source of its problems in terms of foreign relations, adding that his administration had been making every effort to improve its relations with Beijing since he took office in May.
He expressed satisfaction that cross-strait relations had gradually improved in the past few months, adding that ties with the nation’s diplomatic allies had also improved, preventing “unwanted situations.”
The government will continue to relax regulations on cross-strait relations, the president said, but added that the goal was to improve the investment environment at home and coax back Taiwanese businesspeople rather than only encouraging them to invest in China.
Ma also praised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its “peaceful” and “calm” response to the collision of a Taiwanese fishing boat and Japanese patrol vessel near the Diaoyutai (釣魚台) islands in June.
In related news, Wang yesterday confirmed that Ma would deliver a speech on the military outpost of Kinmen on Aug. 23 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the artillery bombardment by the Chinese army.
Wang said details were still being finalized and declined to discuss what Ma would say in the speech.
Wang made the remarks in response to a report that appeared in the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday that said that the theme of Ma’s speech would be “peace and reconciliation.”
Ma would “extend goodwill to China and redefine the framework for interaction between the two sides,” the report said, adding that the address would serve as the pillar of the administration’s cross-strait and foreign policies.
Additional reporting by Rich Chang
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