Hong Kong should offer the Taiwanese people a reasonable explanation as to why it refused to issue a visa to Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
"We feel sorry about what happened to Mayor Ma and would like to point out that the incident clearly signifies the deterioration of Taiwan-Hong Kong relations and that the Hong Kong government should be held fully responsible for it," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) told a press conference held after the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
PHOTO: CNA
While it remained unclear as to why the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region rejected Ma's visa application, speculation was rife that it was related to Ma's recent criticism of the "anti-secession law" the Chinese government is drafting.
Ma said that he himself did not know why the Hong Kong government rejected his visa application and that it would be a very "unwise decision" if it was because of his criticism of the "anti-secession law."
"Maybe the Hong Kong government doesn't want me to go because it's too cold," he said jokingly.
"If it had something to do my remark about the law, it would run counter to the Chinese government's intention to convince the Taiwanese people to trust the `one China, two systems' model," he said.
When asked whether he considered the incident to be suppression by the Chinese government, Ma said that he did not think so, but "it sure feels upsetting to be black-listed" by the Hong Kong government.
"Honestly speaking, I'm very much shocked by the fact that I cannot go back to my birthplace to attend a cultural activity related to city affairs," he said.
Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News quoted unidentified government officials as saying that Ma's visa was denied because he recently criticized China's proposed anti-secession law.
The paper added that the timing of Ma's visit would be too sensitive as China's legislature prepares to vote on the law in March.
Taiwan contends that the measure could be used as a pretext for an attack.
Ma has visited Hong Kong twice since the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. The politician is popular in Hong Kong because he was born there.
Ma favors eventual unification with China, and has been critical of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) efforts to create a new Taiwanese identity separate from China's. Chen is reviled by Chinese leaders.
Timothy Wong, a researcher at the Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Ma's visa was rejected because Chinese authorities want to stamp out any ``inappropriate'' remarks on the planned anti-secession law.
"Beijing is escalating its pressure to the utmost level. There is no gray area," he said.
He added that China rejected Ma's visit to make clear that tensions across the Taiwan Strait remain serious.
"They don't want to send the message to the outside world that the severe situation of cross-straits relations has improved," he told a radio talk show yesterday.
According to a CNA story last night, Hong Kong's Constitutional Affairs Bureau director Stephen Lam (
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
The Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant’s license has expired and it cannot simply be restarted, the Executive Yuan said today, ahead of national debates on the nuclear power referendum. The No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County was disconnected from the nation’s power grid and completely shut down on May 17, the day its license expired. The government would prioritize people’s safety and conduct necessary evaluations and checks if there is a need to extend the service life of the reactor, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference. Lee said that the referendum would read: “Do
The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a seminar in Taipei for experts from Taiwan and Japan to exchange their experiences on the designs and development of public toilets. Japan Toilet Association chairman Kohei Yamamoto said that he was impressed with the eco-toilet set up at Daan Forest Park, adding that Japan still faces issues regarding public restrooms despite the progress it made over the past decades. For example, an all-gender toilet was set up in Kabukicho in Tokyo’s Shinjuku District several years ago, but it caused a public backlash and was rebuilt into traditional men’s and women’s toilets, he said. Japan Toilet Association
RSS