Taipei Times: Japan and the US have voiced concern about the proposed "defensive referendum." Do you believe the referendum can deepen Taiwan's democracy or that it could encourage China to renounce the use of force against Taiwan? What are the UK and the EU's views on the issue?
Lord Faulkner: I think on the question of whether referendums in principle can enhance democracy, I answer yes, they can. We have referendums in the United Kingdom on issues of significance.
Taiwan is a new democracy. It [the vote] seems perfectly reasonable given the fact the referendum is supported in your parliament, I gather by all political parties. It is a perfectly reasonable part of the democratic process for a referendum to be possible.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
As far as the referendum that has been approved by Parliament relating to the Chinese missiles, I can understand why [US] President George W. Bush is unhappy about anything that upsets the People's Republic of China (PRC).
But, on the other hand, the people of Taiwan have a legitimate right to say whether or not they want to have the missiles ... pointing at their cities.
If there are stated questions and given answers, given the fact that it is an advisory referendum, I cannot see why the EU or the British government should object to that.
TT: If you know 99 percent of people in Taiwan will vote `yes' in this referendum, do you think it is still necessary to carry out the referendum? The US and some people here have insinuated that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) is using the referendum as a campaign ploy to draw support for himself.
Faulkner: As far as I am concerned, the referendum has been approved by your parliament and by all political parties. I certainly don't want to be drawn into a debate about the president's tactics for re-election. We had a very good meeting with the president earlier in the week and another excellent meeting with the foreign minister today. They explained to us in great detail the thinking behind the referendum, and I think all members in this delegation were satisfied with what they were told.
TT: Do you expect your government to express its views on Tai-wan's referendum issue?
Faulkner: I have no idea. I did not speak for the British government. I am here as vice chairman of the British-Taiwan parliamentary friendship group.
I know that as far as our members are concerned, and as far as my delegation is concerned on this visit, we are satisfied with the answer we have been given on why this referendum is taking place. But above all, it is a matter for Taiwan and the Taiwanese people.
TT: Taiwan has repeatedly applied to become a UN member. In September, our latest attempt to join the world body failed. The UK and France spoke on the application, saying their stance on this issue remained the same, which means they oppose it. If you believe Taiwan deserves entrance into the UN, is it possible for your government to take concrete steps to help Taiwan's bid?
Faulkner: That's the sort of issue my colleagues in the British-Taiwan group and I have been raising in Parliament. We accept the presence of a common policy inside the EU and on the part of the US administration of the "one China" policy. I have raised questions on a number of occasions hoping the British government and the others will be prepared to modify that.
In the short term, it is unlikely they will modify that. However, that doesn't mean there are not things that can be done that can improve Taiwan's position in the world.
For example, ascension to the World Trade Organization is a big step forward. I campaigned hard earlier at a particular time during the SARS outbreak to press the case of Taiwan being admitted to the WHO. For the very practical reason that if Taiwan is not a member of the WHO, it would not be possible for the SARS outbreak to be dealt with properly.
There are other world bodies which Taiwan should be a member of, in my view. One of those is the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which is the world association of sovereign parliaments.
The criteria to qualify for membership in the IPU is not government recognition, but the credibility of the parliament and a democratically elected government. In the view of the members of the British-Taiwan parliamentary group, we believe that Taiwan certainly fulfills these requirements.
What I find difficult to accept is that the world is ready to accept Taiwan as a very important economic and trading partner, but that it is reluctant, because of PRC pressure, to open the barriers on the political zone. One of the things we are trying to do is to move the barriers as much as we can.
TT: In the WHO's General Assembly, Taiwan was only supported by 27 countries in its bid to enter the body. Is it possible the UK will be changing its stance on this issue?
Faulkner: I honestly don't know. I would like to think so. In the British parliament I have asked for Britain to change its position on Taiwan's acceptance into the WHO. I will do that again. I will press again for Taiwan to be admitted. But I think until there is some relaxation of the "one China" policy, it is going to be difficult.
TT: Taiwanese high-level visits to the US have become relatively easier over the years. Is it difficult to arrange Taiwanese high-level visits to the UK?
Faulkner: It is difficult, but it shouldn't be, in my view. We said to President Chen this week that it will be difficult for him to visit Britain in the event of his re-election as president of this country.
It seems to me that restricting these visits again is to treat Taiwan in a way that is not fair and is not right.
One of the things we should be trying to do is to see if it is possible to get some relaxation. I think obviously we have to wait and see what the outcome of the public election will be, because you are in the election atmosphere now.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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