The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday said it is “puzzled by and regrets” former vice president Lien Chan’s (連戰) attendance at China’s massive military parade to mark Japan’s defeat in World War II.
The People First Party (PFP), on the other hand, said that its secretary-general, Chin Ching-sheng (秦金生), who is in Beijing for the commemorations, did not attend the parade — a claim that another attendee challenged.
Despite strong denunciations by many politicians across party lines, Lien attended the Chinese military show of force, along with about 300 other representatives from Taiwan, reports said.
Photo: CNA
KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung (楊偉中) reiterated that the war against Japan was led by the Republic of China (ROC) government and that the KMT is “unwavering in upholding democratic values” and the “historical truth about the war.”
The KMT “deeply regrets and is much puzzled by former [KMT] chairman Lien’s attendance at [China’s] military parade, on the same day as the Armed Forces Day of the ROC,” Yang said.
Responding to calls from KMT members — such as Taipei City Councilor Lee Hsin (李新) — for the party to take disciplinary action against Lien, Yang said there are differing opinions within the party about members attending the parade.
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei Times
“These opinions will be discussed and [the cases involving those members will] be handled in accordance with party mechanisms,” he added.
PFP Deputy Secretary-General Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said that Chin did not attend the parade.
However, the Chinese-language Apple Daily, citing an anonymous attendee in Beijing, said that Chin had been on the Tiananmen Gate rostrum during the parade.
The source alleged that Chin had climbed up the rostrum with other members of the group, but later excused himself and went to a staff room in the back, saying he did not feel well.
PFP spokesperson Clarence Wu (吳崑玉) denied the allegations, saying Chin “was not on the rostrum” of the Tiananmen Gate.
The Apple Daily report said that a PFP member said Chin had “technically avoided” viewing the military parade, as Chin told PFP headquarters that the invited group had to “act as a whole,” but he left the seat arranged by the Chinese government on a pretext, which should be counted as “absence.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Changhua chapter director Chen Chin-ting (陳進丁) filed a lawsuit at the Changhua District Prosecutors’ Office against Lien, accusing him of “civil disturbance” and “treason.”
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
’DISTORTION’: Beijing’s assertion that the US agreed with its position on Taiwan is a recurring tactic it uses to falsely reinforce its sovereignty claims, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said Chinese state media deliberately distorted Taiwan’s sovereign status, following reports that US President Donald Trump agreed to uphold the “one China” policy in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi urged Trump to retreat from trade measures that roiled the global economy and cautioned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, a Chinese government summary of the call said. China’s official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that the US should handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and avoid the two countries being drawn into dangerous
RSS