The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus yesterday urged teachers not to use the new version of high-school social studies textbooks approved by the National Academy for Educational Research (NAER), which it said contain distorted and unsubstantiated historical information and aim to instill a China-centric mindset in young Taiwanese.
“The Ministry of Education has claimed that it was only responsible for reviewing high-school curricula and that it was up to textbook publishers to decide the content of the books they print,” TSU caucus whip Lai Chen-chang (賴振昌) told a news conference in Taipei.
However, Lai said that since the new curriculum has been “painted red,” most of the publishers have fallen in line, printing textbooks that do not conform to historical facts.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Singling out the Shi Ji Cultural Publishing Co (史記文化事業), Lai said that the company combined the histories of Taiwan and China into what it called “national history,” which also included historical events that occurred during the Japanese colonial era.
“Shi Ji’s proprietor, Cheng Chih-shen (鄭旗生), doubles as the executive officer of the pro-unification Chinese Integration Association, while one of the firm’s textbook compilation committee members, Hao Ming-huang (邵銘煌), is the former director of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s [KMT] history department. Both men are considered ‘deep-blue’ diehards,” Lai said.
Lai said the publisher’s history textbook used the controversial term “returning to the embrace of the motherland” twice.
The book suggests that former president Lee Teng-hui’s (李登輝) formulation of the “two states theory” in 1999 hindered cross-strait negotiations, and the “one side, one country” model proposed by Lee’s successor, Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), had destabilized Taiwan-US relations, Lai said.
The book has two full pages on the so-called “1992 consensus” embraced by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and also praises the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement for elevating cross-strait exchanges to the next level. Lai said.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding that the KMT says was reached with Beijing that both sides agree that there is only “one China,” with each side having its own interpretations of what China is. Former KMT lawmaker (蘇起) said in 2006 that he had made up the term in 2000, when he was head of the Mainland Affairs Council.
“This is not a school textbook, but rather propaganda material designed to promote the KMT’s history and cross-strait unification,” Lai said, calling on high-school teachers not to use the new editions of book.
TSU Legislator Chou Ni-an (周倪安) said the lack of references in the books to democracy activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), the 228 Incident and the 1979 Kaohsiung Incident underscored the curriculum review team’s aim to cover up the former KMT regime’s disregard for human rights by creating the impression that the government had attached great importance to the issue.
“We as Taiwanese must stand up against the government’s brainwashing scheme and safeguard true human rights and democracy,” Chou said.
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
DETERMINATION: Beijing’s actions toward Tokyo have drawn international attention, but would likely bolster regional coordination and defense networks, the report said Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s administration is likely to prioritize security reforms and deterrence in the face of recent “hybrid” threats from China, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said. The bureau made the assessment in a written report to the Legislative Yuan ahead of an oral report and questions-and-answers session at the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The key points of Japan’s security reforms would be to reinforce security cooperation with the US, including enhancing defense deployment in the first island chain, pushing forward the integrated command and operations of the Japan Self-Defense Forces and US Forces Japan, as
INTERCEPTION: The 30km test ceiling shows that the CSIST is capable of producing missiles that could stop inbound missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere Recent missile tests by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) show that Taiwan’s missiles are capable of intercepting ballistic missiles as they re-enter the atmosphere and pose a significant deterrent to Chinese missile threats, former Hsiung Feng III missile development project chief engineer Chang Cheng (張誠) said yesterday. The military-affiliated institute has been conducting missile tests, believed to be related to Project Chiang Kung (強弓) at Pingtung County’s Jiupeng Military Base, with many tests deviating from past practices of setting restriction zones at “unlimited” and instead clearly stating a 30.48km range, Chang said. “Unlimited” restrictions zones for missile tests is
NO CHANGES: A Japanese spokesperson said that Tokyo remains consistent and open for dialogue, while Beijing has canceled diplomatic engagements A Japanese official blasted China’s claims that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has altered Japan’s position on a Taiwan crisis as “entirely baseless,” calling for more dialogue to stop ties between Asia’s top economies from spiraling. China vowed to take resolute self-defense against Japan if it “dared to intervene militarily in the Taiwan Strait” in a letter delivered Friday to the UN. “I’m aware of this letter,” said Maki Kobayashi, a senior Japanese government spokeswoman. “The claim our country has altered its position is entirely baseless,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Johannesburg on Saturday. The Chinese Ministry
RSS