Taiwan should leverage its advantage and go on the offensive by adopting a “bold one China principle (大膽一中)” rather than staying on the defensive against a more powerful China, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) said yesterday.
“If the ‘one China’ principle was an inevitable development, we should seek the best ‘one China’ framework for Taiwan, such as the establishment of a China Council which is based on the European Council,” Hsu, 72, said at the book launch of his new book, titled What should Taiwan do?
Hsu said he has always favored the EU model as a potential solution for the cross-strait question, saying that the EU could be seen as a new country and it does not interfere in or oppose the sovereignty of Germany or France.
Hsu said he made the recommendation because Taiwan, which enjoys the advantage of being a democracy, would send elected representatives to the council and Beijing would be embarrassed if its representatives are designated by the government.
He also called for further opening to Chinese investment to revitalize Taiwan’s sluggish economy.
The former chairman has been known for initiating creative political ideas throughout his career, such as a “boldly going west (大膽西進)” initiative in 1995, which encouraged Taiwan’s business investment in China.
In his new book, Hsu calls for the establishment of a grand coalition government, saying that a grand coalition is a must-have for the nation because “no political party in Taiwan will be able to carry out reform and move the country forward alone.”
Hsu also touches upon a number of domestic issues, such as the dispute surrounding nuclear energy, pension reform and the establishment of six free economic pilot zones.
He also criticized the Ma administration for its incompetence.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Snow fell on Yushan (Jade Mountain, 玉山) yesterday morning as a continental cold air mass sent temperatures below freezing on Taiwan’s tallest peak, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Snowflakes were seen on Yushan’s north peak from 6:28am to 6:38am, but they did not fully cover the ground and no accumulation was recorded, the CWA said. As of 7:42am, the lowest temperature recorded across Taiwan was minus-5.5°C at Yushan’s Fengkou observatory and minus-4.7°C at the Yushan observatory, CWA data showed. On Hehuanshan (合歡山) in Nantou County, a low of 1.3°C was recorded at 6:39pm, when ice pellets fell at Songsyue Lodge (松雪樓), a
RSS