Chinese Ambassador to Washington Cui Tiankai (崔天凱) on Tuesday characterized Taiwanese officials as having a “lackey mentality” after a Taiwanese delegation met with US politicians.
Led by former premier Yu Shyi-kun (游錫堃), the delegation visited the US to attend US President Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington on Friday last week.
Cui said on the sidelines of a Lunar New Year reception at the Chinese embassy that “there have been some opportunistic politicians from Taiwan making some petty moves” while the US is undergoing an administration change.
Photo: CNA
“Some people think that they have met somebody after coming to the US and felt self-complacent about it; I consider it a kind of lackey mentality,” Cui said.
When asked about the possibility of Trump revisiting the “one China” policy and Taiwan’s concern about becoming a bargaining chip in China-US deals, Cui said that if Taipei wants to avoid becoming a bargaining chip, “just return to the foundation of the [so-called] ‘1992 consensus’ and recognize that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to ‘one China’ and the people on both sides are Chinese.”
“Once this great principle of the nation is understood, [Taiwan] has nothing to worry about, as it would be standing with the 1.3 billion Chinese,” he said.
“However, if you have to separate yourself from or pit yourself against the 1.3 billion Chinese, then there is more for you to worry about” other than becoming a bargaining chip, Cui said.
He said that the “one China” policy is the political foundation for China-US relations.
“We firmly uphold the ‘one China’ principle; it is unshakable and nonnegotiable,” he said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said in Taipei yesterday that interactions between Taiwanese and US officials are precisely the “product of Chinese oppression.”
Cui’s words “were merely sour grapes, because a meeting of any kind between our people and US officials is a breakthrough,” Lo said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus convener Sufin Siluko (廖國棟) said “it is up to us to decide whether [we are being] lackeys; it is none of [China’s] business and it should focus on taking care of its own business.”
New Power Party Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐), a member of the delegation, said China should not be taken aback by other nations engaging in exchanges, “which is perfectly normal.”
Regarding South China Sea issues, Cui said that there are territorial and maritime disputes between China and some ASEAN members, but it is not an issue of geopolitical strategy or competition, nor is it a problem between China and the US, as the latter has no territorial claims in the region.
Things are improving between China and ASEAN members that China has disputes with, he said, adding that “against this backdrop, any country from outside the region should promote regional cooperation to return peace and stability back to the South China Sea, rather than doing the opposite.”
He reiterated that China cares about navigational safety and freedom in the region more than anyone else, as the South China Sea is “right on China’s footstep” and it relies on passage through it for trade.
He said as the China-US trade relationship is based on achieving mutual interests and a win-win situation, China is firmly opposed to a trade war with Washington, because both sides would suffer as a result.
The US should develop a strong and stable economic and trade relationship with China if it wants to make gains in this big market, Cui said.
Additional reporting by Alison Hsiao
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
RSS