Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday described China’s political maneuvers and increasing economic ties with Taiwan as a “silent annexation” and warned of the gradual erosion of Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“The silent annexation is ongoing. The Democratic Progressive Party’s [DPP] loss of power might be tolerable, but the loss of sovereignty in our time would be an irreversible mistake that would jeopardize future generations,” Lu said in a speech during the founding ceremony of the Anti-One China Principle Union.
The group, co-founded by DPP Legislator Mark Chen (陳唐山), Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) and former DPP lawmaker Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮), was established to monitor President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) perceived pro-China policies.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
Taiwan does not oppose that there is only one China in the world, Lu said, but “that does not mean Taiwan is part of China.”
The former vice president warned that China has been using different measures to absorb Taiwan since passing an “Anti-Secession” law in 2005.
Ma’s policies since taking office in 2008 appear to have dovetailed with Beijing’s measures and have accelerated Taiwan’s dependence on China, she said.
In response to recent debates about the DPP’s pro-independence stance and a perceived collaborative anti-Taiwan independence campaign between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), leveraged on the so-called “1992 consensus,” Lu reiterated the idea of a “1996 consensus.”
“We should never have a doubt about Taiwan’s independent status. Taiwan has been an independent and sovereign country since March 23, 1996, the day of its first direct presidential election,” Lu said.
The “1996 consensus,” which represents the collective will and decisionmaking of the nation’s 23 million people, is a better consensus than the “1992 consensus,” which is only an illusion fabricated by the KMT and the CCP, Lu said.
Chen also warned that Taiwan “has already entered China’s orbit” under the Ma administration.
As a reminder to his own party, which Chen said has “somehow lost faith in what it believed in,” the lawmaker said the DPP “should know who the enemy is and understand that an enemy will never help you to win power.”
On the desire of several DPP politicians to urgently facilitate closer engagement with Beijing, Chen cited former US president John F. Kennedy as saying: “Do not fear to negotiate, but do not negotiate out of fear.”
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.