Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday closed a forum on cross-strait relations in Hong Kong by saying that mutual trust was important between the DPP and Beijing and that all bilateral exchanges should benefit the public and address their needs.
In his closing remarks to the two-day forum titled “Development and innovation of cross-strait relations,” Hsieh reiterated the importance of rebalancing cross-strait interactions, which have been narrowed down to interactions between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Citing the recently signed cross-strait service trade pact that has drawn heavy criticism in Taiwan, Hsieh said it was a perfect example of how imbalanced interaction could harm bilateral engagement.
While Beijing said it had given Taiwan WTO-plus treatment in the pact, opposition to the agreement and public fear over the “Chinese economic invasion” remained strong because the communication channel has been limited to the KMT and the CCP and Taiwan’s government had failed to make the negotiation process transparent, Hsieh said.
However, Hsieh, who represents the DPP’s moderate wing, which has been attempting to foster closer engagement across the Taiwan Strait, said that it is also imperative for the DPP and the CCP to keep an “appropriate” distance because of the lack of mutual trust at present.
He also highlighted his “two sides, two Constitutions” initiative, saying that Taiwan and China could coexist if both respected each other’s constitutional legitimacy.
Hsieh echoed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) idea of an “Asian community of destiny.”
“We may not share the same history, but we could have a common destiny and future,” he said.
Academics from both sides of the Strait, as well as nine DPP lawmakers, attended the two-day forum, which was organized by Hsieh’s Taiwan Reform Foundation and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of Taiwan Studies — the first time a DPP-affiliated organization has organized an event in cooperation with a state-sponsored Chinese think tank.
Hsieh is set to visit Taiwanese businesspeople in Shenzhen, China, today before returning to Taiwan tomorrow.
Commenting on the forum, DPP Legislator Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟) said the seminar attracted individuals from the Chinese government and academia and the seniority of the Chinese officials attending the event showed that Beijing attached great importance to it.
Although there were heated discussions between Chinese and Taiwanese delegates, the event provided a chance for the DPP and Beijing to better understand each other, Chao said.
Additional reporting by CNA
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS