The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday carried a one-page advertisement in the Chinese-language newspaper the China Times detailing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) heavyweights' "connections" with China, and urging the DPP not to accuse the KMT of having Chinese connections.
The advertisement, titled "Ma Ying-jeou (
DPP presidential candidate Hsieh, Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (
The other picture showed KMT presidential candidate Ma smiling in front of the Republic of China (ROC) national flag.
"The picture proves that Hsieh, Yao and Tsai attended a banquet hosted by Beijing, and the DPP should not employ double standards by criticizing the KMT's cross-strait exchanges," Yang Tu (
Yang urged the DPP not to portray the KMT as pro-China and not to damage Ma's reputation by attacking him over the issue of the national flag.
"It's clear to see who supported our national flags in the pictures," he said.
Yang was referring to the recent brouhaha over Ma's pledge to defend the right of sports fans to display the national flag.
The DPP said Ma's pledge contradicted his actions during his time as Taipei mayor when he allegedly barred fans from waving national flags at sport events held in the city.
Ma has said that he never "issued [such a] directive" but only "advised" fans not to bring the flags to sports events, claiming this was in line with Olympic regulations.
In response, Hsieh's campaign office spokesman Lee Ying-yuan (
He said that Hsieh had never banned people from displaying the national flag.
"Hsieh will never prevent people from bringing the national flag to a sports event because the national flag represents the country's dignity," Lee said.
Showing a picture of Hsieh leading a group of people to petition for Taiwan to join the UN in front of the UN building in New York, Lee said Hsieh stood with the people in refusing to accept Chinese oppression.
"Hsieh is willing to join forces with Ma to fight against oppression by the People Republic of China," he said.
Yao, at a separate setting yesterday, said he has been to China three times on nonpolitical trips.
"Actually, I'd love to visit China more often so we can understand each other better," he said. "It is China that won't allow me to visit."
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
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