In his new book, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said that the “status quo” for Taiwan means “not belonging to China,” which is why he has never backed the movement for Taiwanese independence.
According to reports in the Chinese-language United Daily Evening News, in Last Days: My Life’s Journey and the Roadmap of Taiwan’s Democratization, Lee writes that Taiwan already enjoys de jure independence, and if the president allows the conflict between pro-independence and pro-unification camps to grow, it would be to the detriment of the nation.
The report quoted Lee as writing that with the first direct presidential election in 1996, Taiwan “shook off the yoke of foreign occupation.”
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
While under “foreign occupation,” many tragedies occurred — which should be properly addressed — but Taiwan must ultimately move beyond such sentiments, Lee wrote.
When a person arrived in Taiwan should not be the deciding factor in whether they are considered Taiwanese, and while history must be understood, Taiwanese must look toward the future, Lee wrote, according to the report.
Taiwan must shake off the old system, with its notions of “one China” and that the Republic of China (ROC) is a legitimate continuation of “China” from the Qing Dynasty, Lee wrote.
More than 80 percent of Taiwanese back maintaining the “status quo” between China and Taiwan, and this “status quo” is that Taiwan is independent of China, Lee wrote, according to the report.
The nation should participate in international affairs under the name of Taiwan, which should be the only point of concern, Lee wrote.
The debate over whether Taiwan is independent would only tear the nation apart if allowed to continue, and Taiwan need not make controversial comments on the matter, because it already enjoys de jure independence, Lee wrote, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Lee yesterday canceled at the last minute his appearance at a publicity event for the book at the Taipei International Book Exhibition.
The book was originally scheduled for publication before the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, but the date was pushed back due to concerns that it might influence voting, Metropolitan Culture Enterprise Co Ltd & Banner Publishing House (大都會文化事業出版社) president Lin Ching-pin (林敬斌) said, adding that the title of the book was chosen by Lee.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique