The Cable News Network (CNN) posted an analysis on its Web site Wednesday which said that Beijing has struck backroom deals with the KMT to blunt the DPP's prospects in the Dec. 1 elections.
The story, penned by Willy Wo-Lap Lam (林和立), added that the Chinese government also hopes to check the growth of the fledgling Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) in a bid to deny pro-independence elements majority control in the legislature.
The CNN story caused a stir among Taiwanese politicians yesterday, as the two major opposition parties raised doubts over the credibility of the report and the DPP and TSU reiterated the importance of loyalty.
The controversy surfaced soon after CNN published the story, "Shifting alliances shape Taiwan status," in its "Eye on China" column at 11:25am Wednesday.
In the story, Lam said, without naming his sources, that "in closed-door meetings with KMT stalwarts, Beijing cadres have pledged to give them political and other kinds of support to ensure the DPP's defeat at the polls."
Lam, previously China editor of the South China Morning Post and a well-respected analyst of Chinese affairs, added that Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) "has quietly thrown his support behind the KMT and the People First Party [PFP]," many of whose members met with Chinese Communist Party officials over the last year.
The best-case scenario for the Chinese leadership, he wrote, is that Taiwan's sluggish economy will take its toll on the number of seats won by the DPP in next week's nationwide elections.
The columnist noted that Beijing has adopted a multi-pronged strategy aimed at bringing Taiwan to heel and summed up the strategy in a dictum: "be as tough -- or as conciliatory -- as the situation requires."
To that end, Beijing has switched to "some form of smile diplomacy" under which Chinese officials have learned to avoid hostile comments on Taiwan's elections, as they backfired in the two previous presidential elections, according to Lam.
He quoted Beijing sources as saying Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (
Lam said that Beijing is also taking aim at the newly formed TSU, calling the party a covert pro-independence group.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"One can tell that the claim is an utter fabrication without the help of one's brain," Lien told reporters in Kaohsiung. "What did the author base his observations on?"
Lien said the DPP administration was probably behind the report, which was first picked up by the state-run Central News Agency before appearing in local Chinese-language newspapers.
"The entire incident may be just another gambit by the DPP administration to discredit the KMT in the run-up to the elections," he said.
Echoing Lien's indignation, PFP Chairman James Soong (
Soong, however, expressed greater displeasure over a headline a local paper used with a story which alleged the Chinese Communist Party has stealthily aided the KMT and the PFP.
"Irresponsible journalism such as that points to the need for reform," Soong said on his way to Ilan to campaign for fellow legislative candidates there. He said he would not rule out taking legal action against the newspaper.
DPP spokesman Phoenix Cheng (鄭運鵬) said that while it is advisable to check the accuracy of the CNN report, it is more urgent that all parties spurn any Chinese scheme to divide the nation.
Lam's report can be read at http://asia.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/asiapcf/east/11/20/willy.column/index.html
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS