Democracy is an irreversible trend in today's world and a democratic China is crucial to maintaining peace in East Asia, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun said at a colloquium held in New York on Tuesday.
Prior to the colloquium with members of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, Yu delivered a speech on the prospects for regional peace in East Asia.
According to Yu, not only do Taiwan's national security and interests hinge on the stability of East Asia, but the main challenges and threats to the US' global strategies will come from the region. This means that regional peace and stability in East Asia will have a direct impact on US global strategies and national interests, he said.
Yu cited three recent incidents as examples to support his theory, saying that the repercussions of these incidents are undermining stability in East Asia as well as the Taiwan Strait.
First was China's enactment of its "Anti-Secession" Law in March to provide it with a legal basis to attack Taiwan if Taipei makes a move toward formal independence, Yu said.
The law not only challenges the US principle that cross-strait disputes ought to be resolved peacefully, but also plants a time bomb in regional stability in East Asia, he said.
Second was an announcement by the Taiwanese business tycoon Hsu Wen-lung (
Hsu, who used to be a staunch supporter of President Chen Shui-bian (
Hsu's turnaround indicates that China is using its increasing economic clout to contain Taiwan, as Beijing realizes that the nation is relying increasingly on China for its economic growth, Yu said.
The third incident was when Beijing condoned anti-Japanese sentiment around China. Beijing has been exploiting the historical hatred harbored by the Chinese people toward the Japanese to impede Japan's normal development and dampen closer US-Japan cooperation, Yu said.
He said that the successful integration of the EU proves that only under the principles of democracy, peace and equality can a regional consolidation of nations be achieved.
Reviewing European history, Yu said, both Napoleon and Adolf Hitler failed in attempts to annex neighboring countries through force, showing that military force cannot facilitate consolidation or unification among divided countries.
George Schwab, president of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy, joined other committee members to exchange views with Yu on a wide variety of issues, including the prospects for the development of cross-strait relations and the impact of the recent visits to China by Taiwan's opposition leaders.
Earlier Tuesday, Yu and his wife attended the commencement ceremony of their son, who obtained his master's degree in international relations from Columbia University in New York.
Yu was slated to deliver another speech over a luncheon in Washington yesterday. A number of US officials, members of the US Congressional Taiwan Caucus and think tank members were expected to attend.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's liaison officials stationed in New York might arrange for Yu and his family to watch a New York Yankees game on Sunday in which Taiwanese pitcher Wang Chien-ming (王建民) might play.
Wang has recently hit the headlines among Taiwan's baseball fans with his two wins in the American Major League for the Yankees.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all