Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming’s (柯建銘) proposal to suspend the party’s so-called “Taiwan independence clause” to boost its chances of returning to power was deemed unnecessary by his own party yesterday, but it earned rare acclaim from China.
Beijing, which rarely agrees with the DPP, praised Ker’s proposal yesterday, with Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Fan Liqing (范麗青) describing the caucus whip as “a man of vision” and his initiative as “a positive sign, as well as an important step in the right direction if the initiative is approved by the party.”
The “independence clause” is an article in the party’s charter that calls for the establishment of a Republic of Taiwan. Beijing has always said that the clause is a primary roadblock to it engaging with the DPP.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
However, members of the DPP, including DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), gave Ker’s suggestion the cold shoulder, saying that the controversial proposal was untimely and could spark an unnecessary dispute in the party and violate the spirit on which it was founded.
Su said that suspending the clause is a non-issue because the DPP views Taiwan as an independent and sovereign country given the series of constitutional amendments, presidential elections and legislative elections that have taken place over the years.
“Everyone’s opinion should be respected, but it is the consensus that matters. The consensus of Taiwanese is that the nation is sovereign and independent, and its future should be decided by the 23 million people who live here,” Su said.
Several DPP lawmakers also had reservations about Ker’s initiative, despite agreeing that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
“Taiwan’s independence is in the DPP’s DNA and it has never changed. Changing the ideology in exchange for bilateral engagement is not smart, nor would DPP supporters accept the abrupt change,” DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said. “Proposing suspending the independence clause before a major election is much ado about nothing. Besides, you don’t win support by abandoning your core values.”
The timing of Ker’s initiative is inappropriate because it is likely to incite an argument between the moderates and the fundamentalists in the party, DPP Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) said.
If the initiative was submitted on the presumption that it would facilitate engagement between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), doubts would inevitably arise, former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said.
The first direct presidential election in 1996 and the follow-up DPP resolution on Taiwan’s future three years later had both established that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation, which “basically achieved the goal listed in the independence clause [written in 1991],” Lu said.
“The 1999 resolution on Taiwan’s future, to some extent, could be seen as a revision of the independence clause. I believe most people would find this acceptable,” she said.
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS