The Presidential Office yesterday accused Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of desiring a return to cross-strait hostilities when she said in an interview that it was inappropriate for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to describe Taiwan as a “troublemaker.”
Tsai told the Chinese-language China Times in an online interview made available yesterday that it was “pathetic” for the president to say that Taiwan was a “troublemaker” and that he had given up an opportunity to speak up for the rights of Taiwan.
“Someone at the helm of the state should not have said that,” Tsai said. “It is very, very improper.”
Tsai said Taiwan was unlikely to have the same interests with China, so some conflict between the two sides was inevitable. The challenge for any leader in power is to handle any disputes in a -mature and stable manner, she said.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) yesterday described Tsai’s remarks as “shocking,” saying that they showed disregard for international hopes for peace across the Taiwan Strait.
Lo said Taiwan was considered a “troublemaker” when the DPP was in power. At that time, cross-strait ties were at their “freezing point” and foreign relations were treacherous, he said.
“If it were not for the DPP’s troublemaking strategy plunging Taiwan into a state of isolation and struggle, President Ma would not have to declare that Taiwan will not be a troublemaker,” Lo said. “Is it more pathetic to say we will not be a troublemaker or cling to the mistake and not correct it?”
Lo said Ma also ditched the so-called “checkbook diplomacy” practiced by the DPP administration and the resources saved could be used to provide humanitarian assistance to the country’s diplomatic allies.
“The public should judge for themselves whether Taiwan should be a peacemaker or a -troublemaker,” Lo said.
Lo said that while Ma’s cross-strait policy has received high praise from the US, Japan and the EU, Tsai wanted to return to the old path of confrontation.
Lo said that since Ma took office, Taiwan has transformed itself from a “troublemaker” into a “peacemaker.” Taiwan’s relationships with China and other countries have improved dramatically and American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt said in January that the relations between the US and Taiwan were “in great shape,” Lo said.
A group of Taiwanese-American and Tibetan-American students at Harvard University on Saturday disrupted Chinese Ambassador to the US Xie Feng’s (謝鋒) speech at the school, accusing him of being responsible for numerous human rights violations. Four students — two Taiwanese Americans and two from Tibet — held up banners inside a conference hall where Xie was delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024. In a video clip provided by the Coalition of Students Resisting the CCP (Chinese Communist Party), Taiwanese-American Cosette Wu (吳亭樺) and Tibetan-American Tsering Yangchen are seen holding banners that together read:
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Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching