Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) Chairman Chen Deming (陳德銘) to be “discreet in his behavior and words” during his visit to Taiwan ahead of next month’s elections after Chen said on Thursday that sometimes a politician with a high support rating causes disaster, citing Adolf Hitler as an example.
The Chinese-language Want Daily reported that Chen, when meeting Want Want Group (旺旺集團) chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明) and other company executives on Thursday, said it is “not easy [for the media] to tell the truth” in an environment beset with “geopolitical struggles and complicated political contradictions.”
Chen said that while people do make correct judgements, sometimes it takes time for them to gain an understanding of the problems, citing Germany under the rule of Hitler during World War II as an example.
Photo: Chien Hui-ju, Taipei Times
“The German people elected Hitler as their leader with a big majority, which in the end caused a tragedy that was mourned by the whole world. Germany was the victim and the German people were subjected to the greatest woes,” Chen was quoted as saying.
The Chinese envoy referred to an English article saying that while most people know what the truth is, sometimes the truth can be veiled by fake appearances, especially in a society teeming with a plethora of information.
So the information needs to be sieved so that the fake can be separated from the truth, the report said.
Photo: Chang An-chiao, Taipei Times
Asked about Chen’s remarks yesterday, Tsai said that she does not perceive Chen’s visit in a negative way, but she hoped that Chen could gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s democracy, especially when the nation is in an election campaign period.
Tsai said that Chen has made certain remarks that have prompted discussion, adding that she hopes he would practice discretion when making comments during Taiwan’s election campaign period.
The DPP presidential candidate, who was presenting her education policies, was questioned about her policy on Chinese students. She said that the number of Chinese studying in Taiwan would not decrease if the DPP wins the presidential election.
“The policy of Chinese studying alongside Taiwanese is a policy worth continuing. There are certainly some details of the process that need to be handled with delicacy, but the DPP would keep an open mind on the issue,” she said.
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