Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that she was disappointed with the outcome of a meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
“We regret that the only result of the Ma-Xi meeting is the use of politics to limit the choices of the Taiwanese public regarding cross-strait relations on an international stage,” Tsai told a news conference in Yunlin County’s Douliu City (斗六) during a stop in her central Taiwan campaign trip.
“This morning, we expected him to do three things for the people of Taiwan: confirming the ability for the 23 million people of Taiwan to make their own choices; establishing that there would be no political preconditions in the development of cross-strait relations; and ensuring equal footing and dignity in cross-strait relations. However, he did not accomplish any one of those three objectives,” she added.
Photo: Yen Hung-chun, Taipei Times
Tsai said that she was very disappointed after watching the live TV coverage of the Ma-Xi meeting in Singapore, adding that Ma departed yesterday morning as the public questioned his decisionmaking and returned with only more controversy.
“The Taiwanese public will not accept a political framework that lacks democratic procedures and the support of public opinion,” Tsai said.
“I am confident about Taiwan’s democracy and people, and I will work with the people of Taiwan in a more democratic way to make up for the damage caused by the Ma-Xi meeting,” she added.
Prior to the event, Tsai said that the Ma-Xi meeting was not a “historical meeting” as Ma had claimed, but rather only a “newsworthy meeting.”
Meanwhile, DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) was harsher in his criticism of the meeting, accusing Ma of “kowtowing and surrendering” to Xi during the event.
“Ma said in front of Xi that the ‘1992 consensus’ is an agreement on ‘one China’ reached in November 1992, meaning that he has abandoned his long-claimed stance of the ‘1992 consensus’ is ‘one China, different interpretations,’” Ker said. “That was the president of the Republic of China [ROC] openly denouncing the ROC at an international event; a serious setback for Taiwan’s sovereignty.”
Ma’s actions are the equivalent of “kowtowing and surrendering. We cannot accept such remarks, and express our strong protest against them,” Ker added.
Meanwhile, Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) was also critical of Ma’s remarks on the “1992 consensus” made during the meeting, saying that Ma only proved that his previous definition of the “1992 consensus” was a lie.
Ma echoing Beijing’s call for “one China” and agreeing with Xi’s opposition to Taiwanese independence are unforgivable, Huang added.
“Ma has further limited the next generation’s choices regarding Taiwan’s future,” Huang said. “That is an unforgivable crime.”
The combined effect of the monsoon, the outer rim of Typhoon Fengshen and a low-pressure system is expected to bring significant rainfall this week to various parts of the nation, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The heaviest rain is expected to occur today and tomorrow, with torrential rain expected in Keelung’s north coast, Yilan and the mountainous regions of Taipei and New Taipei City, the CWA said. Rivers could rise rapidly, and residents should stay away from riverbanks and avoid going to the mountains or engaging in water activities, it said. Scattered showers are expected today in central and
COOPERATION: Taiwan is aligning closely with US strategic objectives on various matters, including China’s rare earths restrictions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Taiwan could deal with China’s tightened export controls on rare earth metals by turning to “urban mining,” a researcher said yesterday. Rare earth metals, which are used in semiconductors and other electronic components, could be recovered from industrial or electronic waste to reduce reliance on imports, National Cheng Kung University Department of Resources Engineering professor Lee Cheng-han (李政翰) said. Despite their name, rare earth elements are not actually rare — their abundance in the Earth’s crust is relatively high, but they are dispersed, making extraction and refining energy-intensive and environmentally damaging, he said, adding that many countries have opted to
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
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
RSS