Premier Yu Shyi-kun yesterday appealed to the international community to maintain its concern for the development of human rights and democracy in China.
He also said the Chinese people were welcome to learn from the Taiwan experience, especially the holding of direct elections.
"The Chinese people should enjoy the same universal rights of democracy, diversity and freedom that Taiwan upholds," Yu said. "The government sincerely invites the Chinese people to bear witness to Taiwan's democratic system, including the legislative elections at the end of the year, which can lay the foundations for China's democratization and peaceful ascent [onto the world stage]."
Marking the 15th anniversary of 1989's Tiananmen Square Massacre on behalf of Yu, Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) urged Beijing to allow truth to be restored to China's historical record.
"The incident's significance lies in the fact that people on both sides of the Strait are trying to bring about democratic systems. Democracy, which has already become a part of `Taiwanese values,' can also become a core value of Chinese culture," he said.
"Only a diverse and democratic society can meet the expectations of the people -- on both sides," Chen said.
Chen noted remarks by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his inauguration speech that the first two decades of this century would be crucial for national development and for China's liberalization.
"Yet," Chen Chi-mai said, "although this year is the 15th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre, the behavior of Beijing, which has included a military crackdown on civilians in 1989, Internet restrictions and its general dictatorial manner, remains unchanged.
"Moreover, the freedom and democracy requested by the Chinese people has not been brought about and the country's human rights record has failed to make concrete progress," he said.
Chen Chi-mai said that Taiwan hoped China would undertake a thorough review of policies to protect the basic freedoms of speech and assembly.
"President Chen suggested that both sides should form a dynamic peace framework for cross-strait interaction and maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait ... [They] should also improve cultural and economic interaction, especially the three direct links," he said.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS