Outraged Taiwanese yesterday took to the Internet to slam sexist comments by a Chinese analyst saying that President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) practices “emotional” politics because she is a single woman.
The scathing attack on Tuesday from a member of China’s organization overseeing relations with Taiwan came amid heightened tensions between Taipei and Beijing after the election of the nation’s first female president.
Tsai’s office and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) declined to comment on the remarks, but enraged politicians and Taiwanese openly voiced their displeasure.
“It is such a ridiculous remark and discrimination against single people,” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-chin (葉宜津) said.
“Everyone has the right to choose their lifestyle by having partners or staying single and that should be respected,” Yeh said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) was equally incensed over the comments.
“Such a personal attack is extremely improper,” Wang said.
“It is gender discrimination and we strongly oppose such remarks,” Wang said.
The remarks from Wang Weixing (王衛星), a military analyst and a board member of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, said that Tsai’s politics were affected by her status as a “single female politician.”
“In political style and strategy, often she tends to be emotional, personal and extreme,” Wang Weixing wrote.
“In terms of political tricks, she considers strategy less, tactical details more and short-term goals are paramount, while long-term goals are less taken into account,” he wrote.
Internet users in Taiwan joined lawmakers in slamming Wang Weixing’s comments.
“Why does he not criticize a bunch of married male politicians who are having extramarital affairs?” one post on the Facebook page of the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) said.
“[He is] a chauvinist pig who hurts gender equality,” the post said.
“It is a crime to be single?” one message on the Chinese-language Apple Daily’s Web site said.
“Such a remark only shows the world how perverted China is,” it said.
Another post on the Apple Daily’s site said: “China is so barbaric.”
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
Chinese embassy staffers attempted to interrupt an award ceremony of an international tea competition in France when the organizer introduced Taiwan and displayed the Republic of China flag, a Taiwanese tea farmer said in an interview published today. Hsieh Chung-lin (謝忠霖), chief executive of Juxin Tea Factory from Taichung's Lishan (梨山) area, on Dec. 2 attended the Teas of the World International Contest held at the Peruvian embassy in Paris. Hsieh was awarded a special prize for his Huagang Snow Source Tea by the nonprofit Agency for the Valorization of Agricultural Products (AVPA). During the ceremony, two Chinese embassy staffers in attendance
RSS