Opposition to China’s “one country, two systems” framework is “the most important Taiwan consensus,” President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.
Tsai made the remarks at a meeting with Nauruan President Baron Divavesi Waqa at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei.
Taiwanese oppose the “one country, two systems” framework, a stance also shared by the ruling and opposition parties, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
“Rejection of the ‘one country, two systems’ framework is the most important ‘Taiwan consensus’ of this year,” she said.
Taiwan also believes that sitting down for a discussion is the best way to solve a problem, Tsai said, adding that talks with China should occur with no political preconditions.
Taiwan would work with international partners with similar ideologies and contribute to the world based on this belief, she added.
Separately, Dr She for Democracy, a group of more than 800 pro-democracy female doctors, bought half-page ads on the front pages of yesterday’s editions of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) and Apple Daily in support of Tsai.
The ad, which featured a pink background, read: “Defend Taiwan’s democracy. We support President Tsai Ing-wen.”
It was signed “810 female doctors from all over Taiwan” and listed their names.
The group said on Facebook that it strongly believes that Taiwan’s democratic values and sovereignty are worthy of the attention and protection of everyone who lives in the nation.
It said that the greatest wish of its members as doctors, mothers, daughters, sisters and wives is for their elders to live peacefully and for their children to grow up happily.
However, recent upheaval and the spread of fake news have aroused their concern, it said, adding that they feel threatened by Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) remarks and Beijing’s alleged efforts to conceal information about African swine fever.
The group was referring to Xi on Wednesday last week saying in a speech that China is willing to talk with any party in Taiwan to push forward the political process as long as it accepts the “one China” principle.
China “will not renounce the use of force or give up the option to use all necessary measures” to serve that end and crack down on Taiwanese independence, he said.
As democracy is a worldwide trend and universal value, the group said that it was willing to join the international community in defending the values and dignity of democracy, adding that Tsai has expressed their views clearly with her insistence on Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Netizens praised and thanked the group for its comments.
One netizen called the group’s statement a display of the “Taiwanese spirit,” while another said that they were almost moved to tears.
In related news, the edition of the Ministry of National Defense Political Warfare Bureau’s weekly publication Our Voice released on Monday said that Xi’s speech was filled with contradictions and contained traces of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “united front” tactics.
The political goal hidden behind the concepts of “one country, two systems,” “peaceful unification” and “integrated development” is to carry out unification according to the CCP’s wishes, it added.
Military personnel should recognize that adopting a “one country, two systems” framework would mean destroying the Republic of China, and defend the freedom, democracy and sovereignty of the nation’s 23 million people, it said.
Additional reporting by Aaron Tu
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft