A proposal by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) to include Chinese students in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program yesterday continued to draw mixed reactions from party members, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) accused the DPP of prevarication.
The initiative, which Wu said was submitted out of humanitarian concerns instead of political motives, backfired in the media, with most DPP members expressing reservations about the proposal.
Wu apologized for his “recklessness” and the “inappropriate timing” after many DPP supporters and politicians expressed opposition in recent days, leading to the proposal’s withdrawal.
DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who at first described the proposal as Wu’s “personal opinion,” stepped up the rhetoric on Monday, saying the initiative was “inappropriate and rushed.”
DPP caucus chief secretary Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told a press conference that most DPP lawmakers were “reserved” about the proposal, despite their position that every proposal should be respected.
“Most lawmakers think the NHI is more of a social welfare and less of an insurance system, which is why it has suffered great financial loss and why they [critics] question whether coverage should be expanded,” Tsai said.
However, DPP legislators Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) and Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) lauded Wu for having “good intentions” and said the DPP should encourage discussion and creativity in public policy formulation, while Wang Dan (王丹), a Chinese dissident now teaching at National Tsing Hua University, said he supported the initiative as a teacher and as a Chinese.
“The proposal would attract more Chinese students to study in Taiwan, which would help promote democracy in China. By making a little sacrifice, Taiwan would be able to create a positive image among the Chinese people. Strategically, I think that would be a good option for Taiwan,” Wang said.
“From the perspective of human rights, I don’t see why Chinese students cannot enjoy the same rights as other foreign students,” said Chang Tieh-chih (張鐵志), a political commentator.
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), which has a more rigid policy on China, opposed the initiative and said state-to-state relations between Taiwan and China should be reaffirmed before such a measure could be adopted.
TSU Legislator Huang Wen-ling (黃文玲) said that China has never renounced its territorial ambition on Taiwan and Taiwan should take care of its nationals first.
Meanwhile, the KMT accused the DPP of being “capricious” in its cross-strait policies and said the DPP’s decision to withdraw the proposal revealed its unwillingness to come to a better understanding with China, as it claims it is trying to do.
“Chairman Su was capricious about the proposal. It is obvious that the DPP’s cross-strait policies are opportunistic and lack context,” KMT spokesperson Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國) said.
She questioned the DPP’s about-face on the issue, saying the party at first made the proposal to address human rights, but then withdrew the proposal because DPP supporters opposed it.
“Chairman Su said the DPP reinstated the Chinese Affairs Department in order to understand China, but the DPP has once again been kidnapped by political ideology. We still don’t know the direction the DPP is heading in terms of cross-strait policies,” she said.
If the DPP plans to make adjustments to its cross-strait policies, it should not only discuss the inclusion of Chinese students in the health insurance program, but develop a more comprehensive policy on Chinese students, she said.
People can preregister to receive their NT$10,000 (US$325) cash distributed from the central government on Nov. 5 after President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday signed the Special Budget for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience, the Executive Yuan told a news conference last night. The special budget, passed by the Legislative Yuan on Friday last week with a cash handout budget of NT$236 billion, was officially submitted to the Executive Yuan and the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. People can register through the official Web site at https://10000.gov.tw to have the funds deposited into their bank accounts, withdraw the funds at automated teller
PEACE AND STABILITY: Maintaining the cross-strait ‘status quo’ has long been the government’s position, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan is committed to maintaining the cross-strait “status quo” and seeks no escalation of tensions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, rebutting a Time magazine opinion piece that described President William Lai (賴清德) as a “reckless leader.” The article, titled “The US Must Beware of Taiwan’s Reckless Leader,” was written by Lyle Goldstein, director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Defense Priorities think tank. Goldstein wrote that Taiwan is “the world’s most dangerous flashpoint” amid ongoing conflicts in the Middle East and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has become less stable
CONCESSION: A Shin Kong official said that the firm was ‘willing to contribute’ to the nation, as the move would enable Nvidia Crop to build its headquarters in Taiwan Shin Kong Life Insurance Co (新光人壽) yesterday said it would relinquish land-use rights, or known as surface rights, for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), paving the way for Nvidia Corp to expand its office footprint in Taiwan. The insurer said it made the decision “in the interest of the nation’s greater good” and would not seek compensation from taxpayers for potential future losses, calling the move a gesture to resolve a months-long impasse among the insurer, the Taipei City Government and the US chip giant. “The decision was made on the condition that the Taipei City Government reimburses the related
FRESH LOOK: A committee would gather expert and public input on the themes and visual motifs that would appear on the notes, the central bank governor said The central bank has launched a comprehensive redesign of New Taiwan dollar banknotes to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures, improve accessibility and align the bills with global sustainability standards, Governor Yang Chin-long (楊金龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday. The overhaul would affect all five denominations — NT$100, NT$200, NT$500, NT$1,000 and NT$2,000 notes — but not coins, Yang said. It would be the first major update to the banknotes in 24 years, as the current series, introduced in 2001, has remained in circulation amid rapid advances in printing technology and security standards. “Updating the notes is essential to safeguard the integrity
RSS