President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) for what he called “tolerating violent protest measures” against China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) in Greater Kaohsiung last week.
Ma, who left Taiwan on Sunday evening for a seven-day trip to Central America, made the comment during his flight to Honolulu en route to Panama, where he is to attend the inauguration of President-elect Juan Carlos Varela today, before traveling to El Salvador.
The protests against Zhang on Friday in Greater Kaohsiung, traditionally viewed as a pan-green stronghold, turned bloody as a student trying to block his motorcade from leaving the Grand Hi-lai Hotel Kaohsiung sustained a head injury.
Photo: CNA
Later that day, when Zhang’s convoy was on its way to Sunset Beach Resort for a meeting with Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), some vehicles and members of Zhang’s security detail were splattered with white paint as demonstrators on both sides of the narrow road shouted anti-Chinese slogans.
Several protesters also threw ghost money at the convoy — an action considered insulting.
A number of demonstrators were injured during scuffles with police.
Ma urged DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to take the matter seriously and not evade the problem.
Ma said he could not understand why Taiwanese protesters would want to splash paint on Zhang’s vehicle.
“The opposition parties have always said that they would adopt a positive attitude toward our guests from China and treat them with courtesy, but that was not the case,” the president said.
He urged the opposition parties to reconsider their attitude toward visiting Chinese officials, saying he hoped they would interact with Beijing in an honest and peaceful manner, so as to create a new path for cross-strait relations and Taiwan’s diplomatic future.
When asked about his thoughts on the police’s performance during Zhang’s visit, Ma said they had dutifully executed the directive by the authorities not to “treat the people as enemies” by not using barricades this time.
Ma described the visit by Zhang as a very important step in consolidating relations between the two sides.
Ma said Zhang’s visit was highly significant because it indicated that the peaceful development of cross-strait had not been affected by the extensive protests in Taiwan in March against a proposed service trade agreement with China.
Several breakthroughs were also achieved during Zhang’s formal meeting in Taoyuan with Wang, Ma said
Besides agreeing to discuss with Taiwan the issue of permitting Chinese travelers to transit through the nation, Zhang reached consensus with Wang on allowing officials from each side to visit detainees held by the other side, after China and Taiwan establish reciprocal representative offices, Ma said.
In addition, Zhang said China is willing to work with Taiwan in its bid for greater participation in regional economic integration, Ma said.
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