Former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) urged vice president-elect Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) yesterday to protect the nation’s sovereignty and status while he attends the Boao Forum in China this weekend.
Su said he hoped Siew would use the opportunity to promote the so-called “1992 consensus,” which posits that while Taipei and Beijing agree to there being a “one China,” both sides differ in their interpretation of what it means.
“The best-case scenario would be to see the forum benefit both sides,” Su said.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FENG, TAIPEI TIMES
While Siew said during a vice presidential candidate debate that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would not negotiate with China should Beijing refuse to recognize the Republic of China, Su said he hoped Siew and president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) would not forget the promise they made to Taiwanese after they assume office.
Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) asked people yesterday not to be too optimistic about Siew’s visit to China.
Lu said she would give Siew her blessing if the visit showed promises of opening a new chapter in cross-strait relations. But right now, she said, he should be wary of the potential dangers in dealing with the Chinese. She said she would like to meet Siew when he returns so they could discuss his trip.
The Chinese crackdown on Tibet has substantially changed the global situation, Lu said, which provided an opportunity to put Ma and Siew to the test. Lu wished the KMT administration good luck in its endeavors to uphold the well being Taiwanese, but said the duo must remain vigilant and not fall into the potential traps set by Beijing.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday questioned the benefits of Siew’s attendance at the forum, saying he was “downgrading the country and himself” and that he should explain his motives to the public.
“Siew’s name does not appear on the list of participants at the forum. Since he is not officially invited, how can he attend?” DPP caucus whip Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) said at a press conference at the caucus office yesterday.
Yeh said her aides had looked on the Internet for a list of representatives attending the forum and that Siew’s name was not on the list.
“Did he make any deals with China in return for his participation? I think he should provide some explanations,” Yeh said.
The names “Republic of China” or “Taiwan” were also absent from the list of 26 countries listed as taking part in the forum, she said.
“Don’t tell me that Siew is representing China,” she said.
DPP legislators also attacked Siew on the legislative floor.
DPP Legislator Yu Jan-daw (余政道) said he disagreed with Siew’s idea of not participating at the forum as vice president-elect.
“Everybody knows that he [Siew] is going to be vice president. Now he’s given up that title for the forum. Doing so is degrading to the country and himself,” Yu said.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said he was not comfortable with Siew dropping his title, especially as all participants at the forum must agree to the “one China” policy.
“Communicating with [China] is a good thing. But it would be terrible if the condition to do so were that we give up our own dignity and sovereignty,” Lee said.
Meanwhile, business tycoons including Morris Chang (張忠謀), founder and chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, the world’s largest chipmaker, and Leslie Koo (辜成允), chairman of Taiwan Cement Corp, were said to have been selected to accompany Siew.
Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起), who now acts as Ma’s top aide, as well as Chan Hou-sheng (詹火生), executive director of the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation, will also attend the forum, Siew spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday at KMT headquarters.
Wang said that most members were board members or advisers of the Cross-Strait Common Market Foundation, which Siew helped launch. Wang declined to confirm whether Siew would meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) during the forum.
Also yesterday, Government Information Office Minister Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) called on Siew to defend the rights of reporters to cover his visit to Boao.
The KMT confirmed that Siew’s delegation would make a transit stop in Hong Kong via an air charter arranged by China on its way to Hainan, but added that the flight would not be open to reporters.
Siew should do his utmost to convince the Chinese government to agree to let Taiwanese reporters on board the flight, Shieh said.
“As the vice president-elect, Siew bears the expectations of all Taiwanese. If he can’t defend the rights of reporters, how will he be able to fight for the interests of the people,” Shieh asked.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih and Shih Hsiu-chuan
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS