Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and former chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday expressed their disapproval of calls to freeze the Taiwanese independence clause in the party’s charter, a day before a party meeting scheduled for a discussion on the proposed freeze.
Tsai said the independence clause has been the party’s objective since its foundation, and it is also the ideal that party members and most Taiwanese have been pursuing.
With Taiwan’s democratization, the “Taiwanese consciousness” has been determinedly formed and these values of identifying with Taiwan and insisting on the nation’s independence and autonomy have already become a “natural ingredient” of the younger generation, Tsai said.
Photo: CNA
“How are we to freeze or abolish this fact or state?” she asked.
Tsai responded to the recent calls to suspend the independence clause yesterday on Google Moderator, a service that helps crowdsource questions and determine which questions interest users the most.
The DPP has been using it as an open platform to engage people on public policy.
She said the reason cited by those who propose mothballing the independence clause has always been the worry that the DPP would not be able to deftly deal with issues concerning cross-strait relations.
“This is a myth,” Tsai said. “People have to ask the question of who really defines the so-called Taiwanese independence framed by the media. Are we not an independent nation? Isn’t consolidating our sovereignty and demanding more substantive participation in the international arena what most Taiwanese are calling for?”
Tsai said the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文) has been the consensus within the party about Taiwan’s sovereignty, future and relationship with China, and it has also become a consensus among the Taiwanese public.
“The DPP, based on this consensus, is aiming for a cross-strait relationship that is more stable and consisting of quality interaction and mutual trust,” she added.
She said that the DPP would be more confident, positive and practical in its attitude and measures, “showing its stability and consistency.”
The party would continue insisting on the principle and position that cross-strait interactions, regardless of form, should not be allowed to damage Taiwan’s democracy, sovereignty or Taiwanese will to determine their own future, Tsai said.
Separately, Su wrote on Facebook yesterday that Taiwan is an independent nation and that its future is in the hands of its 23 million people.
It is the mainstream public opinion, a social consensus of the highest degree and the DPP’s longstanding principle, Su added.
He said that the party’s 2014 China Policy Review: Summary Report (對中政策檢討機要) released in January was the result of scores of conferences with thorough discussions involving more than 600 people that spanned several months. The conclusion has confirmed the fortitude of the DPP’s basic values and core stance.
“The DPP should have confidence in its stance and in Taiwan’s mainstream opinion, clarifying its attitude [whenever needed] to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding from the outside and confusion within the party,” Su wrote.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS