Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee spokesman Yang Ching-tang (楊景棠) confirmed that China has registered 110 athletes for individual sports, but Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said they might only be China’s second-string sportspeople.
Amid rising tensions in cross-strait relations and the registration for the Summer Universiade ending tomorrow, doubts had been expressed that China would not send athletes to compete in the games.
On Sunday evening, Yang said that China applied to register 180 people, including 110 athletes, to compete in individual sports, including track-and-field events, fencing, taekwondo, table tennis, weightlifting and martial arts.
However, the final situation would only be confirmed after registration ends, Yang said.
Yesterday morning, asked whether China’s registration application was made out of respect for him, Ko said: “Mainland China was sure to attend the Universiade, the only difference is the size of their delegation, because it is a great world power and would definitely not be absent from such an important event.”
He said when he visited Shanghai earlier this month, Chinese officials told to him that the Summer Universiade used to be held in June or July, but with the games being held in August this year, it would clash with the dates of the National Games of the People’s Republic of China.
“I am embarrassed to say this, but I am afraid their best athletes would participate in their national games and they would only send their second-string athletes [to the Universiade],” Ko said.
Meanwhile, during an interview streamed live at noon yesterday, Ko was asked whether President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) would attend the Universiade opening ceremony.
He said he discussed the issue with a few Chinese officials and the International University Sports Federation and told them that Tsai must attend as the “president.”
China might not register for team competitions to express its dissatisfaction with the state of relations, he said.
“I feel like in the past year, under Tsai’s administration, both sides of the Taiwan Strait have been raising demands and challenging each other,” Ko said. “Now Taiwan’s Straits Exchange Foundation and the Mainland Affairs Council do not even communicate.”
Improving cross-strait relations would not substantially improve Taiwan’s economic situation, but it affects the public’s feeling of stability, he said.
“Taiwan and the Mainland both have their standpoints and persist in them,” he said. “However, why does the Mainland upset Taiwanese? Because it cannot help using its hard power on us.”
He gave examples including an incident involving Taiwanese K-pop singer Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the nation’s exclusion from a World Health Assembly meeting, the detention of human rights advocate Lee Ming-che (李明哲) and Panama cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Citing a historic war strategy of “ambushing from 10 sides, but leaving one side of the net open,” Ko said China is now squeezing Taiwan’s space in the international community from all sides, leaving no way out.
“Is it our fault that we are getting closer to the US?” Ko said, adding that China should think about why Taiwanese can communicate with Chinese in Mandarin, but seem to be friendlier with the US.
China should see that using hard power on Taiwan does not bring about good results, Ko said, adding that Taiwan should use its soft power to demonstrate to China its more noble values.
“Enforcing ‘united front’ (統戰) tactics is [China’s] obligation, but countering this is our obligation,” he said, adding that democracy, freedom, diversity and openness are valued traits in Taiwanese society.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard