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.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
66 FIGHTER JETS: The aircraft is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan — a significant step forward in the nation’s modernization program, a lawmaker said The first of Taiwan’s order of F-16V Block 70 aircraft has been sighted in Texas ahead of delivery, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. Taiwan’s first F-16V Block 70 two-seat aircraft, tail number 6831, was seen flying from Lockheed Martin’s production facility in Greenville, South Carolina, to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth in Texas, Wang wrote on Facebook yesterday. The plane is likely undergoing preparations for its transfer to Taiwan, marking a significant step forward in the Republic of China Air Force’s modernization program, Wang said, citing military analysts. The F-16V Block 70 is a new-build version
‘BRAZEN’: The holiday did not stop China from activities that infringe on Taiwan’s maritime jurisdiction, but the CGA is ready to defend the nation, Kuan Bi-ling said Beijing is intensifying maritime pressure on Taiwan, but the nation will never yield, Ocean Affairs Council Deputy Minister Sung Chen-en (宋承恩) said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has adopted a “shadowing and monitoring” approach to avoid falling into a Chinese trap to escalate tensions and deepen the conflict, Sung said in an interview published yesterday in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper). China Coast Guard formations patrolling waters east of Taiwan, as well as official Chinese vessels entering areas around Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) and Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) show Beijing’s attempts to significantly step up
Taiwanese aviator Roger Lin (林睿哲) returned to Taiwan on Saturday after completing a nine-day round-the-world journey in a single-engine aircraft, becoming the first Taiwanese pilot to achieve the feat. Lin departed on June 5 from Los Angeles, California, and continued through Alaska, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, Jordan, Norway, Iceland and Canada before landing at the Taipei International Airport (Songshan) via Los Angeles and Japan. Lin shared numerous photos and videos of his journey on a Facebook page titled “Pilot Roger’s Around the World Flight,” including a video showing his aircraft flying over the Danjiang Bridge and
RSS