Several people wearing masks confronted pro-localization Hong Kong lawmakers who arrived in Taipei in the wee hours of the morning yesterday, sparking allegations of an attempt by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to interfere with their meetings in Taiwan.
Hong Kong lawmakers Edward Yiu (姚松炎), Nathan Law (羅冠聰) and Eddie Chu (朱凱迪) arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport after midnight and were confronted by more than 100 protesters associated with the pro-unification Patriot Association.
Several people wearing masks and black clothes rushed toward the lawmakers as they walked into the airport lobby, shouting at them to leave Taiwan, before a police escort held them back, allowing the lawmakers to make their way to a waiting car.
Photo: AFP / Sam YEH
The incident raised suspicions of CCP involvement to hamper planned exchanges between the lawmakers and the New Power Party (NPP), which invited them to participate in two political forums over the weekend.
“That there would be an attempted assault on Hong Kong legislators when they arrived is quite extreme. I can understand why the CCP is worried about exchanges between Taiwan and Hong Kong, but they should go back and re-examine the cause. The actions of the CCP is the reason there has been so much understanding between Hong Kong and Taiwanese groups in recent years,” said Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆), a prominent Sunflower movement activist, who said he drove the lawmakers to Taipei.
The Patriot Association is widely seen as sympathetic to the CCP and has a history of violent confrontation, most recently attacking Falun Gong practitioners outside the Taipei 101 building.
Photo: CNA
The China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) has been tied to the Bamboo Union (竹聯幫) crime syndicate, and Lin yesterday accused the Four Seas Gang (四海幫) of also being involved.
More than 300 demonstrators from the CUPP and other groups yesterday protested outside the NPP forum, which was guarded by rows of police officers and barricades blocking the main entrance of the building in Taipei.
Protesters waved signs they said showed a fist smashing into a “Hong Kong-Taiwanese independence alliance.”
Police escorted the lawmakers into the building.
CUPP vice chairman Tseng Cheng-hsing (曾正星) said the protest was intended to “intimidate” the lawmakers and ensure “they do not come back again.”
“Similar protests have taken place in Hong Kong and it is obvious that the CCP has been trying to manipulate patriotic feelings and pin labels on us,” said Law, who denied he supported Hong Kong independence, but promised exchanges with Taiwan would continue.
“Last night was a bit extreme, but it reflected just how low the character of those who oppose exchanges are,” said Joshua Wong (黃之鋒), a Hong Kong activist who is secretary-general of Demosisto, Law’s political party.
Separately, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday condemned an attempted assault on Wong, saying that violence is not the way to voice opinions in a civilized society.
“I have asked the Taipei Police Department to protect our guests,” he said.
The mayor said the incident could have provided an explanation for why, after the benefits Beijing has given Taiwan, Taiwanese have always been more affiliated with the US than with China.
“Why do Taiwanese fear China so much? I think this is a question Beijing should think about,” he said.
Additional reporting by Peng Wan-hsin and Sean Lin
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. TSMC is to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fab in Kumamoto, company chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. That is an upgrade from an original blueprint to produce 7-nanometer chips by late next year, people familiar with the matter said. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Japan’s Kumamoto in late 2024. Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally focused on
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
EMERGING FIELDS: The Chinese president said that the two countries would explore cooperation in green technology, the digital economy and artificial intelligence Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday called for an “equal and orderly multipolar world” in the face of “unilateral bullying,” in an apparent jab at the US. Xi was speaking during talks in Beijing with Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi, the first South American leader to visit China since US special forces captured then-Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro last month — an operation that Beijing condemned as a violation of sovereignty. Orsi follows a slew of leaders to have visited China seeking to boost ties with the world’s second-largest economy to hedge against US President Donald Trump’s increasingly unpredictable administration. “The international situation is fraught
RSS