Former premier William Lai (賴清德) yesterday urged the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to begin discussing its presidential primary and called for an “anti-annexation law” against China.
Lai said that when meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), “there was no discussion on how to conduct a primary, only requests that I quit.”
“That is not the approach the DPP should take,” he added.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
If the party convenes a second meeting with him and Tsai, he hopes they will begin talking about a primary, Lai said.
He made the remarks at an event to oppose China’s annexation of Taiwan organized by a coalition of pro-independence groups in Taipei.
While the groups had invited primary candidates from all parties to share their view on countering the Chinese threat, only Lai attended, Taiwan Society chairman Chang Yeh-sen (張葉森) said.
Wu Hsiang-hui (吳祥輝), a political pundit, said he not only opposes China annexing Taiwan, but also opposes “President Tsai Ing-wen annexing Lai.”
Lai said that Tsai has so far not said she would support him if he won the primary, but has instead been making suggestions that someone should be running as a vice president,
“That is against the spirit of democracy,” Lai said, adding that a vice president should be determined after the primary.
“Emphasizing how someone should be a vice president during a primary is an election strategy not worth pursuing,” he said.
Since he has registered for the primary, he hopes to follow it through, Lai said.
As a democratic party, the DPP should adhere to its democratic procedures and allow primary candidates the opportunity to promote their platforms and lobby for support, he said.
“As a pragmatic political worker for Taiwanese independence, my national strategy is to promote stability in the nation and peace abroad,” he said.
To counter the Chinese Communist Party’s influence, the government should ensure the safety and sovereignty of Taiwan through increased collaboration with the US and other countries, he said.
It should also promote an anti-annexation law or anti-infiltration law, he said.
He urged people to think of the presidential and legislative elections next year as “a fight against China’s annexation and “one country, two systems” proposal, as well as a fight to ensure Taiwan’s sovereignty, human rights, and democratic and free way of life,” he said.
It would also be an opportunity to oppose a peace treaty with China, he said, adding that Beijing’s peace treaty with Tibet led to the exile of the Dalai Lama and the loss of many lives.
The experiences of Hong Kong and Tibet indicate that “the only path to happiness for Taiwan is independence and autonomy,” he said.
At a separate event in Taipei, Tsai told reporters that supporters would like to see Lai run as her vice president next year.
“One plus one is definitely bigger than two, and that is what our supporters hope to see,” she said.
Asked if she would like to meet with Lai soon, Tsai said she respects the party’s arrangements.
Asked about a rumor that the primary would be canceled due to pressure from her, the president said: “It is indeed a rumor — and a very malicious one.”
Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said he does not foresee a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan in the next decade, although it is “perfectly possible” that China could seek to weaken the island’s status. “I don’t expect an all-out attack on Taiwan in, say, a 10-year period, which is as far as I can see,” Kissinger said yesterday in an interview on CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS. Kissinger, 98, who also served as national security adviser and helped pave the way for then-US president Richard Nixon’s historic 1972 visit to China, said that “everyone wants to be a China hawk” and
Taiwanese actress Big S, also known as Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛), and Chinese restaurateur Wang Xiaofei (汪小菲) officially announced their divorce yesterday, stating the decision was cordial and that they would be raising their two children together. The statement came by proxy through the couple’s legal counsel, filed by both Wang and Hsu. Hsu and Wang thanked fans for their love and support, with the couple saying that fate had blessed them with a time of happiness, and that they were grateful for their time together. They said that while they walked hand-in-hand as husband and wife, they would continue a cordial relationship as
UNUSUAL PUNISHMENTS: Tortuous and possibly criminal penalties doled out by nine officers to a napping cadet have sparked calls for standardized discipline rules Defense experts called on the Ministry of Defense to create a standard code for maintaining discipline, after local media on Saturday reported that nine officers were reprimanded for administering inappropriate punishments to a conscript in Kinmen. Earlier last week, a boot camp recruit surnamed Chung (鍾) was stripped of his shirt and had icepacks placed against his armpits and crotch as a punishment for napping during physical training, the Kinmen Defense Command confirmed on Saturday. The command cadre of the battalion, including the battalion commander, the political warfare officer and the sergeant who ordered the drill have been transferred and could face
DESTABILIZING: Beijing’s efforts to choke Taiwan, pressure its friends and hamper its democracy are a threat to the world, AIT Director Sandra Oudkirk said China’s provocative military activities near Taiwan are destabilizing and risk “miscalculation,” American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Sandra Oudkirk said yesterday, reiterating the US’ objection to any unilateral changes to the “status quo” in the Taiwan Strait. Oudkirk made the remarks in a speech at the annual conference of the Association of International Relations in Taipei. “In the Indo-Pacific region, America’s effort to resolve and manage differences with the leadership of the People’s Republic of [PRC] faces distinct challenges,” she said, referencing a range of actions by China that she said run counter to the shared values and interests of the
RSS