A pro-independence group yesterday warned that Taiwan must not become Beijing's pawn in the growing conflict between China and Japan, and stressed that fishing disputes between Taiwan and Japan should be handled through diplomatic channels, rather than by dispatching warships.
The Hand-in-Hand Taiwan Alliance (
Political commentators and lawmakers pointed out that these events show that many people in Taiwan are confused about their national identification and that if they succeed in provoking hostility between Taiwan and Japan, China is the only country that will benefit.
"Officials have to tackle international issues with cool heads -- impulsive actions won't work," said World United Formosans for Independence chairman Ng Chiau-tong (
Ng said that both Taiwan and Japan are democratic countries that respect freedom and human rights and that it is inappropriate for Wang and Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (
Chin Heng-wei (
"I'm afraid that the public's fears that the pan-blue camp is collaborating with China so that it can control Taiwan is true," Chin said.
DPP Legislator Chai Trong (蔡同榮) said Taiwan's fundamental security strategy is to ally with Japan and that fishing disputes should be settled through quiet diplomacy.
"Some people want Taiwan to confront Japan," Chai said. "I urge Taiwan not to confront Japan, but to ally with Japan. Taiwan has to be careful not to become China's pawn."
Lee Hsien-jen (李先仁), from the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) department of policy studies, said that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) argued that the protection of fishermen and protection of sovereignty should be separate issues, and that the government should not sacrifice fishermen's rights because of sovereignty disputes.
"The present problem is the vague boundary," Lee Hsieh-jen said. "Therefore, the TSU will propose a law for defending and demarcating Taiwan's territory."
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
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US climber Alex Honnold left Taiwan this morning a day after completing a free-solo ascent of Taipei 101, a feat that drew cheers from onlookers and gained widespread international attention. Honnold yesterday scaled the 101-story skyscraper without a rope or safety harness. The climb — the highest urban free-solo ascent ever attempted — took just more than 90 minutes and was streamed live on Netflix. It was covered by major international news outlets including CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian and the Wall Street Journal. As Honnold prepared to leave Taiwan today, he attracted a crowd when he and his wife, Sanni,
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