World Uyghur Congress president Rebiya Kadeer said on Thursday in Washington that Taiwan and Turkey were the only countries in the world denying her a visitor’s visa, but added that she still hoped to visit Taiwan in the future.
The Uighur rights activist made the comments in her meeting with visiting Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), who promised to demand that the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) grant her a visa.
“Taiwan should try to change China, not the other way around,” Kadeer was quoted as saying in a press release issued by the TSU yesterday as she noted that Taiwanese democracy serves as a good model for China.
However, Kadeer said she was concerned about Ma’s “keeping China happy” mentality and his unwillingness to promote democratic values in China.
Three countries had denied her a visa — Turkey, Taiwan and Saudi Arabia — under pressure from Beijing, the 63-year-old activist said, adding that Saudi Arabia recently agreed to let her visit.
Kadeer said she would visit the Middle Eastern country, where more than 20,000 Uighurs reside, shortly and encourage them to preserve Uighur culture and identity.
“I do not see any reason for Taiwan to deny Kadeer’s entry,” Huang said, adding that the TSU caucus supported her being granted a visas as soon as possible.
Speaking at the Taiwanese American Conference East Coast on Saturday in Danbury, Connecticut, Huang said that theories about “China rising” had been blown out of proportion, particularly in Taiwan.
There is a rising China, he said, but the dynamics of its rise are in constant flux as Beijing now faces a rapid changing global economic situation externally and social disorder internally.
“However, the pervasive perception in Taiwan is that if you don’t go west [to the Chinese market] then you’re doomed to fail,” Huang said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lost the presidential election because it failed to challenge Ma’s China policy head on and falsely concluded that China policy was Ma’s strength.
More than 90 percent of Taiwanese oppose unification and that fact is significant. The DPP should have the courage to map out its own position, he said.
On bilateral engagement with China, Huang said his party was not opposed to all channels of exchange, but believed that Taiwan should not engage with Beijing under China’s “united-front framework.”
Huang was scheduled to speak at the Midwest Taiwanese Summer Conference in Elgin, Illinois, on Sunday before concluding his two-week US visit.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
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
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
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
RSS