New Party Power (NPP) Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) yesterday criticized President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) oft-trumpeted principles of equality and dignity in cross-strait relations, saying Taiwan has always been belittled under Ma’s administration.
Taking part in his first interpellation session at the legislature in the morning, which lasted about 30 minutes, Lim drew attention to the issues of Taiwan’s national identity, transitional justice and discriminatory comments toward Tao Aborigines in the film David Loman 2 (大尾鱸鰻2).
“For the past eight years, the Ma administration has insisted that cross-strait ties be furthered based on the so-called ‘1992 consensus’ and the ‘one China, different interpretations’ initiative,” Lim said after calling on Premier Simon Chang (張善政) for questioning.
Photo: Wang Yi-song, Taipei Times
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000, refers to an understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Ma had defined the cross-strait relationship as a “non-state-to-state special relationship” that he said should be maintained under the principles of equality and dignity, Lim said.
“By the president’s logic, as Taiwan is called ‘Chinese Taipei’ in international arenas, should China not also be belittled and called ‘Chinese Beijing?’” Lim said.
“Have you ever consider pressuring China into changing its name to Chinese Beijing and forbidding it to hoist its national flag and singing its national anthem at international events?” he asked Chang.
Lim said the equality and dignity many Taiwanese, including himself, aspire to see is Taiwan and China being treated equally as two separate and normal nations.
The singer-turned-politician then asked Chang and Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) what the most befitting titles for Taiwan and China at international events are if they are to conform to the principles of equality and dignity.
Chang said that under the Republic of China’s (ROC) Constitution, the ROC is a nation and that its government does not recognize the other side of the Taiwan Strait as a sovereign state.
“When it comes to international organizations, not everything can go as we wish. What they prefer to call Taiwan and China are their decisions, but Chinese Taipei is an appellation that enables us to participate in international sports events,” Chang said.
Hsia said the government has been striving to allow Taiwan to attend international events using its official title.
“If your ultimate goal is to see the coexistence of both the ROC and People’s Republic of China, then you are referring to the ‘two-state theory’ and a world where there are two Chinas. That makes you a supporter of ‘ROC independence,’” the NPP lawmaker said.
As a champion of “Taiwanese independence” himself, Lim said that he admired Hsia for going against Ma’s stance and being an advocate of “ROC independence.”
Many things might come out of the “1992 consensus” and the “one China, with different interpretations” initiative, but never equality and dignity, Lim said.
He said that since Taiwanese used their votes against Ma’s China-leaning stance and the “1992 consensus” in last month’s elections, Beijing should refrain from resorting to “despicable measures” just because the incoming government of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) does not support the “consensus.”
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS