President-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview that he does not advocate “directly exporting democracy” to China, adding that by increasing cross-strait interaction, the merits of democracy would “naturally” lead to positive changes in China.
In an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) on Friday, Ma said that the nation had in the past seen China as a threat and ignored the opportunities it presented.
Ma told CNA that increasing non-political exchanges across the Taiwan Strait would inevitably transfer democratic values to China, and that the results would benefit Taiwan’s national security.
PHOTO: CNA
This was a more effective way to increase security than simply increasing defense spending, he said.
Ma said the nation’s democracy was on display for the Chinese during the presidential election. After passionate campaigns by both candidates, the loser gracefully conceded defeat and the winner humbly accepted victory, he said, adding that this “had shaken China like nothing else could.”
In response to a CNA question about whether the nation should try to “export” democracy to China, Ma said this was not necessary, as the Internet and satellite television meant that many Chinese can see the merits of Taiwan’s democracy for themselves.
Ma cited a message posted on the Web site of China’s People’s Daily following city and county elections in Taiwan in 2005.
Ma said a reader posted the message, asking: “Why can the Taiwanese go to their neighborhood elementary school and cast ballots in an election, but we cannot?”
Ma said that his proposal that Taiwan recognize diplomas issued by Chinese universities would also help the nation exert its influence on China.
Recognizing Chinese degrees will lead to a greater number of Chinese students studying in Taiwan, he said.
“When these young people who receive their education in Taiwan return home, they will become some of Taiwan’s best friends,” he said.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
RSS