Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was reserved yesterday about a proposed grand debate on the party’s China policy, saying that a debate could end up taking away flexibility in handling cross-strait affairs if it was not well-planned.
Speaking on the sidelines of a book launch held by her foundation, Tsai responded to a media inquiry about DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang’s (蘇貞昌) proposal to hold such a debate, which was initiated after the party’s recently completed review of its China policy was criticized by many as “unimpressive” and “conservative.”
“The [DPP’s] cross-strait policy has always been a sensitive issue of diverse opinions. Part of it is suitable for a debate and part of it is not. A debate could eventually eliminate the DPP’s room for maneuver unless it is well-planned and well-crafted,” Tsai said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The former presidential candidate said the DPP’s China policy would have to find a balance between its core values and the political reality and “it takes time” to accomplish the feat.
The DPP would have to engage the public in communication as well as with Beijing during the process, she added.
After the DPP’s loss in the presidential election in 2012, several party members called for a debate, which would have been the second “grand debate” on the party’s China policy after the one held in 1998 when Hsu Hsin-liang (許信良) was chairman.
Several DPP lawmakers, including Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) and Pasuya Yao (姚文智) supported the proposal.
Tsai spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a book-launch to introduce Thinking Taiwan — a collection of 82 articles published on thinkingtaiwan.com, an online forum.
The forum, established in August 2012 under Tsai’s Thinking Taiwan Foundation, aims to promote a “New Thought movement” among the public following her loss in the 2012 election, Tsai said, adding that it was not a politically motivated move.
Since its establishment, the Web site has published more than 1,600 articles by more than 500 authors and has on average about 200,000 page views per week, according to the foundation.
The articles, on a wide range of topics, have been thought-provoking as the discussion had gone beyond the conventional “election politics” and market economy beliefs, Tsai said.
She added that it has been a pleasant surprise that 80 percent of the Web site’s readership comes from the under-40 age group and almost half of the authors were born after 1980.
“That eased some people’s concern that young people today know how to gather and process information, but do not know how to think,” Tsai said.
Tsai said she was confident about the emerging civil society in Taiwan and said that political parties would have to reconsider their roles and make adjustments accordingly.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS