Taiwan's mayors and county commissioners split across party lines yesterday in reaction to the passage of China's "anti-secession" law, although they were united in their opposition to the legislation.
The pan-green camp issued a joint statement signed by 17 regional leaders, while the pan-blue camp held an international press conference to publicize their "open letter" of protest.
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
The movement to consolidate the views of Taiwan's regional leaders began when acting Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (
The two documents signed yesterday highlighted the differences between political camps, despite their common position in the face of the passage of the anti-secession law. All 14 of the nation's pan-blue regional leaders or their representatives showed up at yesterday's Taipei City Government press conference to sign Ma's open letter. Six of the 17 signatories of the Chen-initiated statement, meanwhile, were pan-blue regional chiefs who also co-signed Ma's open letter.
Regardless of differences in political motives, both the open letter initiated by Ma and the statement drafted by Chen emphasized that China needs to recognize the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC), that the anti-secession law clearly goes against the will of the Taiwanese people and that the anti-secession law cannot help the cross-strait situation.
In Chen's joint statement, titled "Safeguarding Democracy and Peace, Opposing Military Annexation: An Objection to China's Anti-Secession Law," the crux of the problem in cross-strait relations was identified as China's refusal to recognize the ROC's sovereignty, China's use of its military might and missiles to threaten the peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and its use of aggressive means to sabotage Taiwan's international standing.
The statement also says that developing cross-strait peace and stability is not only the universal goal of the international community but also the common hope of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. The joint statement urged Beijing to be prudent regarding enacting the "ill-intended" legislation.
Ma's letter to the international community, on the other hand, added that the majority of the Taiwanese people support the status quo, while emphasizing that it is only a minority of people that advocate Taiwanese independence.
During his press conference yesterday, Ma evaded questions asking why he did not sign the statement initiated by Chen, although some of the other pan-blue leaders present at the international press conference yesterday did.
Ma also used the press conference to clarify that he will attend the March 26 rally initiated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He has already made his position on the anti-secession law clear in previous comments and in yesterdays open letter, Ma said. There is no further need for him to attend any activities to express his views, he said.
Meanwhile, Hu said he was still reserving judgment on whether or not he would attend the event.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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