Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung’s (劉政鴻) comments during a ceremony with Chinese officials from Jiangxi Province to finalize a deal on academic, cultural and agricultural interaction have been slammed by netizens and Academia Sinica researcher Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) as “disgraceful” and pandering to the Chinese delegation.
Liu said he had been “worried Typhoon Matmo would affect the ceremony, and could not sleep from worry over potential damage from the storm, but thanks to the presence of [Chinese Communist Party chief of Jiangxi Province] Qiang Wei (強衛) and his entourage we have seen minimal wind and rain.”
Huang lashed out on Facebook over Liu’s comments.
Photo: Fu Chao-piao, Taipei Times
“It is not surprising to see two thugs [of] Human Rights [abuse] enjoying each other’s company,” Huang wrote.
Numerous netizens also lambasted Liu’s comments and called them “disgusting.”
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers also criticized Liu’s comments, a report by the Chinese-language Apple Daily said.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said she felt “quite uncomfortable” reading the comments, adding that the typhoon causing minimal damage was a blessing for Taiwanese and had nothing to do with the Jiangxi officials.
DPP Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) said there was no reason to flatter Chinese officials to such a degree.
Meanwhile, Falun Gong members gathered outside the restaurant in protest against Beijing.
Members said Qiang had been part of the oppression the Chinese government had launched against the organization during former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s (江澤民) time in office.
The Falun Gong members said they would continue to spread their ideals and called on Qiang to convey to Beijing their appeals to cease oppression of the movement in China.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
RSS