The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday called on Beijing to respect Taiwan’s democracy and people’s freedom of choice, and refrain from seeking to influence Taiwan’s elections, in the wake of recent comments made by high-ranking Chinese officials.
Chinese National Committee of the People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Jia Qinglin (賈慶林) said on Friday that the (so-called) “1992 consensus” was the foundation of cross-strait negotiations.
If that consensus was not recognized, negotiations would come to a halt and agreements already signed could not be implemented, he said, adding that the result would be renewed cross-strait instability that could adversely impact the interests of people in both Taiwan and China.
Jia reiterated that all topics could be discussed under the “one China” principle and the desire of Taiwanese for greater international participation could be “reasonably accommodated” through negotiations.
“The DPP calls on Beijing to listen to the voice of Taiwanese carefully, because it is only by doing so that we can establish a long-term and stable foundation for cross-strait engagement,” DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
Jia described the “1992 consensus” as an understanding reached in 1992 that “both sides could orally interpret its insistence on the one China principle,” Chen said.
Jia’s comments about the consensus differ considerably from those of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who maintains that the consensus allows “one China, different interpretations,” Chen said.
In addition, Taiwanese were far from happy with the “arrangements” Beijing made for Taiwan’s participation in international events in recent years, as they have tended to list Taiwan as a province of China, Chen said.
“These arrangements prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Ma’s ‘flexible diplomacy’ and faith in the so called ‘1992 consensus’ have achieved nothing of substance,” he added.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS