As criticism from pro-Taiwan independence groups over the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s handling of a referendum on the national team’s name at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics mounts in cyberspace, Premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday defended his commitment to a pragmatic approach to Taiwanese independence.
An alliance of civic groups has initiated a referendum drive on renaming the national sports team from “Chinese Taipei” to “Taiwan” at the Tokyo Olympics and other competitions.
The DPP government’s perceived lack of support for the referendum has prompted charges that Lai is foxi (佛系) about Taiwanese independence, a Chinese Internet slang term referring to Buddha-like passivity and indifference toward a goal.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Quoting Lai’s description of himself as a “political worker for Taiwanese independence” when he fielded questions from lawmakers at the Legislative Yuan in September last year, a group of pro-localization organizations last month called for Lai to lend his support to the proposed referendum.
In an interview yesterday with Web-based Yahoo TV, Lai said that Taiwanese independence through pragmatism is derived from and defined by the DPP’s “Resolution on Taiwan’s Future” ratified in 1999.
The resolution states that Taiwan is a sovereign and independent nation named the Republic of China (ROC) that is neither a subordinate of China, nor seeks to subjugate China, whose future can only be determined by the will of its people, he said.
There is nothing wrong with advocacy for renaming the nation’s Olympic team to “Taiwan,” Lai said, adding that proposal organizer Chi Cheng (紀政) competed under that name as an Olympian in 1960, 1964 and 1968.
However, while the government respects the advocates’ views, it is bound by the Lausanne Agreement, in which Taiwan’s Olympic committee consented to participate in Olympics under the name “Chinese Taipei,” he said.
“A lot of people are understandably dissatisfied that Taiwan has to participate in the Olympics as ‘Chinese Taipei’ under the terms of the Lausanne Agreement, but this is the reality of the situation and we have to protect our right to have our athletes participate in the Olympics,” he said.
Lai also said that the Cabinet is committed to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) cross-strait policy directives.
He reiterated Tsai’s official line that there would be no changes in goodwill, no changes in promises, no reversion to confrontation, no bowing to pressure and no compromising national sovereignty for expedient short-term interests that would jeopardize Taiwan’s free and democratic way of life.
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
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS