The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday accused President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of being “phony” when he said that Beijing does not support his re-election bid.
In an interview with the BBC’s Chinese-language Web site, Ma on Friday said claims about Beijing backing his re-election bid were not accurate.
The remark drew criticism from the DPP yesterday, with DPP spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) saying that since Ma was elected in 2008, he has never at any international occasion or cross-strait negotiation formally demanded that China dismantle its missiles targeting Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Ma was only thinking of how to win re-election and was not putting the safety of Taiwan first despite China’s missiles posing a national security threat to Taiwan, he said.
“When Ma was running for president in 2008, he included demands for the Chinese to dismantle the missiles, but then the demands disappeared,” Chen said, adding that “Ma’s phoniness could also be seen in his proposal of cross-strait peace accords, in which he made no mention of his previous remarks that called on Beijing to remove its missiles aimed at Taiwan [as a precondition for negotiations on a cross-strait peace treaty].”
In the BBC interview, Ma said the allegations that Beijing backs his re-election were made up by his rivals and that none of them were able to present evidence to back their claims.
In the interview, Ma renewed his call for Beijing to dismantle ballistic missiles targeted at Taiwan as early as possible, saying that Beijing’s missile deployment was detrimental to the development of relations across the Taiwan Strait. The missile deployment is also one of the main reasons behind the aversion of Taiwanese to the Beijing government, he said.
Responding to a question on whether he could talk Beijing into removing missiles targeted at Taiwan if he were re-elected, Ma said Beijing should be fully aware of the feelings of Taiwan’s people.
“I see no need to negotiate this issue. It should take the initiative to do that,” Ma said.
He asked: “Is Beijing kind to me, when it has missiles targeting me?”
In an interview with the BBC on Thursday, DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said she was open to the possibility of visiting China as long as Beijing did not set any unreasonable conditions.
In contrast, Ma said that if re-elected, he would not visit China to meet with its top leader. Asked about his views on China’s up-and-coming leaders, such as Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang (李克強), Ma said he has some knowledge of them, but added that no matter how the composition of Beijing’s government changed, its new leaders would support the basic framework for peaceful cross-strait development.
Ma also denied that Tsai had moved past him in the polls as the DPP has claimed in recent days. He said internal KMT polls had him steadily rising, and he expressed complete confidence that he would emerge victorious in the Jan. 14 election.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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