Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday said that President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) statement that cross-strait relations are “not international relations” during his Double Ten National Day speech on Thursday was unacceptable.
“If cross-strait relations are not international relations, I would like to know what they are,” Su said.
Taiwanese elect their own leader and the People’s Republic of China has been established for more than six decades, Su said, adding that neither the public nor the DPP can accept Ma’s comments.
“Why did Ma make this comment after the election rather than during his election campaign?” Su said.
Aside from describing cross-strait ties as “not international relations,” Ma said that “people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are all Chinese by ethnicity (zhonghua minzu, 中華民族).
Tsai said that Ma had placed his own political interests above that of the public and exceeded his mandate by making such comments.
Ma should not risk sacrificing the nation’s interests to shift the focus away from his poor domestic governance, Tsai said on the sidelines of an event held by her Thinking Taiwan Foundation.
“The last thing we want to see is an embattled president making concessions to China or other countries to consolidate his own political status,” Tsai said. “The most important task for a national leader is to safeguard the nation’s sovereignty. With regards to the cross-strait relationship, it should be decided by Taiwan’s 23 million people, not by the president.”
Making such a bold pronouncement without going through the democratic process and respecting public consensus would be a breach of duty and a violation of his mandate, she said.
At a separate setting, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chih (王郁琦) defended Ma’s comments, saying what the president said was consistent with the government’s cross-strait policies.
“President Ma has said in the past that cross-strait relations are not state-to-state relations, and his remarks on National Day carried the same meaning,” Wang said.
Last year, Ma said that cross-strait relations are not state-to-state relations, but rather a “special relationship because the two sides do not recognize each other’s sovereignty, but would not deny each other’s existence.”
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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