Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that the government’s China-friendly policies have sent a message to the international community that Taiwan will soon become part of China.
Lu, who just returned from a 12-day visit to South Korea and the US, said she was impressed by Seoul’s “soft rise” and internationalization, but added that she was shocked to hear members of political and academic circles in South Korea express concern that Taiwan would soon become part of China.
“It seems the administration’s China-friendly policy has embedded a strong impression that Taiwan will soon become part of China,” she said. “At the same time opposition voices are not loud enough for the international community to hear.”
The friends she met in the US also cautioned that an increasing number of US congressional officials, experts and academics were more interested in China than Taiwan.
“It is a serious matter that deserves the attention of both the ruling and opposition parties,” she said. “The administration does not seem to care much, however. We cannot do a lesser job simply because China is better at lobbying.”
Lu also expressed concern over the administration’s defense policy, saying it was as disturbing as its economic agenda.
Because Washington has yet to approve the administration’s request for F-16C/D fighter jets, Lu urged both the ruling and opposition parties to beef up lobbying efforts in the US capital.
She said she suspected the prospect of obtaining F-16C/D fighter jets was slim because none of the people she talked to in the US indicated or even implied that the request would be approved.
Besides, with the production line for the F-16C/D closing by the end of the year, it will be more difficult to acquire such aircraft in the future, she said.
As for submarines, Lu said the odds of getting them looked thin mainly because the US no longer produces diesel-powered submarines, adding that Washington’s promise to sell them sounded unrealistic.
Instead of relying on the US, Lu urged the country to build its own submarines and fighter jets. She said she was against engaging in an arms race with Beijing, but Taiwan must maintain sufficient defense capability.
On the controversy surrounding the import of US beef, Lu urged the Control Yuan to investigate the negotiating team to determine whether they had committed dereliction of duty or broken any laws during the negotiation process.
Lu said she suspected the negotiation team made careless mistakes and the administration complicated the issue by failing to offer a clear account afterwards, adding that she suspected some people might have capitalized on the matter to deliberately provoke anti-US sentiment.
“I hope the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] and private sector will know when to stop,” she said.
In light of the dramatic change across the Taiwan Strait, Lu urged the DPP to “face reality” and propose a new discourse about Taiwan’s sovereignty and Taiwan-China relations.
Lu said Taiwan has been independent since March 23, 1996, when the country held its first presidential election, adding that those who cast ballots on that day recognized Taiwan’s independence with their ballots, she said.
Meanwhile, Lu said she was unlikely to attend a Business and Professional Women summit held in Beijing from May 20 to May 22.
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