The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday called on China to reform its political system with resolve, wisdom and compassion, as well as to face historical facts concerning the Tiananmen Square Massacre and reflect on their significance for the development of democracy and human rights in China.
The council made the remarks in a statement marking the 23rd anniversary of Beijing’s crackdown on unarmed protesters in Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.
Citing the “Taiwan experience,” the council said it was because of Taiwan’s acceptance of the 228 Massacre and the White Terror era that the power of reconciliation spurred the nation to progress and develop.
The council said China’s rapid development has been the source of many economic and social clashes, adding that China should seriously consider using democratic and peaceful means to resolve these issues, as well as pursuing social equality and human rights.
Re-evaluation of the Tiananmen event would be a critical index to measure China’s will to launch political reforms, it said.
Beijing still considers the Tiananmen incident a “counter-revolutionary rebellion” and has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing or consider compensation for those killed.
“We hope Mainland China would respond to calls to protect human rights and establish a true civic society,” the council said, adding that such a move would be beneficial to cross-strait interactions.
To commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, a group of students from National Taiwan University, National Chengchih University, National Cheng Kung University and National Tsing Hua University were to hold a commemoration ceremony tonight at Liberty Square in Taipei.
Wang Dan (王丹), an exiled leader of the Tiananmen protests who is currently visiting the US, will deliver a recorded statement at the event, while another former student leader at Tiananmen, Wuer Kaixi, will give a speech in person.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday warned Taiwanese against indifference toward the Tiananman massacre.
Taiwanese indifference toward the event is of great concern, Su wrote on his Facebook page, in particular because undemocratic regimes still resort to similar means against their own people, like what is happening in Syria.
Because Taiwan and China are engaging in closer exchanges, Su said, Taiwan should care about more than just economic exchanges and pay closer attention to the development of freedom, democracy and human rights in China.
Separately yesterday, the Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) condemned the Chinese government’s large-scale arrests of Tibetans in Tibet on the eve of the Tiananmen anniversary and asked President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to express concern over human rights issues in cross-strait talks — including one scheduled for later this month.
“Since March last year, as many as 38 people — monks and civilians alike — have expressed their strongest protest against China’s repression of religion and human rights in the form of self-immolation,” the TFOT said in a statement. “For the first time, two young Tibetans set themselves on fire in front of the Jokhang Monastery in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa, under tight surveillance of military and police forces, and the incident was followed by yet another self-immolation of a woman in Ngaba Prefecture in Sichuan Province.”
On the eve of the Tiananmen anniversary, “as many as 600 Tibetans in Lhasa have been arrested, which is the largest-scale arrest made in the city since the Cultural Revolution,” the statement said, urging the Chinese government to withdraw troops from Tibet, stop illegal arrests, torture and religious persecution.
Additional reporting by Chris Wang and AFP
Translation by Jake Chung, staff writer
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source