Taiwan-based bakery cafe 85°C (85度C) yesterday declared its support of the so-called “1992 consensus” and the peaceful development of cross-strait ties after Chinese netizens threatened to boycott the chain after one of its branches in the US allegedly welcomed President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) with a customized gift package.
The company’s statement on its Chinese-language Web site came one day after China’s state-owned Global Times, in an online article, denounced a Los Angeles 85°C outlet for giving Tsai a gift bag when she stopped by for coffee on Sunday, calling it “infuriating.”
Tsai made a transit stop in Los Angeles en route to Paraguay and Belize, a move that has drawn ire from Chinese authorities.
Photo courtesy of Tsai Shih-ying
She is to transit through Houston, Texas, on her return trip.
“It appears that 85°C is supportive of Tsai’s policies; at least it does not oppose them... If the company is trying to rake in Chinese money on one hand while supporting Taiwanese independence on the other, such behaviors will not be accepted and should be despised,” the article quoted Chinese American Federation honorary chairman Lu Qiang (鹿強) as saying.
Bakery cafe 85°C was established in 2003 by Wu Cheng-hsueh (吳政學), a native of Yunlin County. It later expanded to China, the US and Australia, and has more than 1,000 branches worldwide.
“Our company’s firm support for the 1992 consensus has never changed,” 85°C said in its statement.
“We oppose any conduct or rhetoric that could drive people on either side of the Taiwan Strait apart. We will continue to provide high-quality products and service to customers on both sides based on the belief that the two sides of the Strait are one family,” the company said.
Dismissing the Global Times’ allegation that Tsai received a customized gift package, the bakery chain said it was just a pillow that a staff member asked Tsai to sign for their personal collection.
“It was not a customized gift package we prepared in advance, as the media alleged,” the company said.
The company also said it was grateful to Beijing for its measures for Taiwanese, which it said have allowed it to expand in China in a smooth and orderly manner.
Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said the government denounces any actions that could disturb market order and suppress freedom of speech.
“Forcing one’s own ideologies on an international corporation is not something that should occur in a civil society,” Huang said.
The Mainland Affairs Council said it is natural and normal for the president to visit Taiwanese businesses overseas.
“[Beijing’s] pressuring of Taiwanese businesses into making political statements is a base move that will not be accepted by Taiwanese,” the council said, adding that China’s actions are not conducive to creating positive cross-strait interactions, nor would it attract Taiwanese investment in China.
The ‘1992 consensus’ refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Su Yung-yao
TAIWAN PROTECTION MEASURE: US Army General Charles Flynn would not say where in the Asia-Pacific the missiles would be sent, but only that they would arrive in 2024 The US is to send medium-range missiles including the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) and Tomahawk to the Asia-Pacific next year to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan, US military news Web site Defense One reported. The report cited comments US Army General Charles Flynn made during the annual Halifax International Security Forum on Nov. 19. “We have tested them and we have a battery or two of them today,” Flynn was quoted as saying. “In [20]24. We intend to deploy that system in your region. I’m not going to say where and when. But I will just say that we will
LOYALTY: The 10 active and retired soldiers betrayed the nation and its people by leaking and passing on military secrets to China, the High Prosecutors’ Office said Ten former and current military officers were yesterday indicted on charges of spying for China, including two who allegedly filmed themselves pledging loyalty to Beijing. The High Prosecutors’ Office requested life imprisonment for the suspects in light of the severity of the crime. The 10 active-duty and retired officers included members of the 601st Brigade of the Aviation Special Forces comprising attack helicopter squadrons and elite combat units in charge of defending northern Taiwan, including Taipei. The other suspects came from Huadong Defense Command, in charge of defending the eastern coast; Kinmen Defense Command, in charge of defending Kinmen and Matsu; and one
NO FREE LUNCH: Taiwanese joining the trips to China met TAO and United Front Work officials who urged them to vote for candidates who support closer ties with Beijing The Ciaotou Prosecutors’ Office in Kaohsiung yesterday released two suspects on bail who have been accused of recruiting Taiwanese to join tours to China funded by Beijing and in which they were urged to vote for pan-blue candidates in January’s presidential and legislative elections. The pan-blue camp generally refers to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party, the New Party and the Young China Party, which support closer relations with China. Prosecutors said that a man, surnamed Cheng (鄭), and a woman, surnamed Yeh (葉), who are members of the China Pan-Blue Association, recruited Taiwanese tourists to join tours arranged
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday slammed a proposal by New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, to permit a “significant number” of Chinese students to study and work in Taiwan, saying it would be detrimental to young Taiwanese. At an event on Monday hosted by nine major industrial and business groups, Hou said that if elected, he would reinitiate cross-strait dialogue on the premise that Taiwan’s dignity would not be compromised and that the talks would be held in good faith. The talks would include lifting a ban on Chinese tour groups and
RSS