President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged China to remove political prerequisites from cross-strait exchanges after renowned Taiwanese baker Wu Pao-chun (吳寶春) faced calls for a boycott when he identified himself as a “baker born in Taiwan, China,” apparently for fear of being branded an independence supporter.
Tsai said she does not blame Wu, but the “serious matter” underscores China’s political distortion of economic and trade activities.
“The situation exists not only in our everyday lives, but also around the world. It is a matter of shared concern with the international community, but Taiwan is standing on the front lines and should be particularly alert to it,” Tsai told reporters at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Taiwanese have time and again given standard statements due to perceived coercion, Tsai said.
“All Taiwanese know what is going on and that it is political suppression, which will neither be accepted by the people of the nation nor the world,” she said.
Such threats have caused cross-strait relations to backslide, Tsai said, urging Beijing to remove political prerequisites so that both sides of the Taiwan Strait could engage in “normal and healthy” interactions.
The president made the remarks one day after Wu in a statement rejected speculation that he supported Taiwanese independence, saying that while Taiwan is the land that nurtured him, he was born in “Taiwan, China” and is “proud to be Chinese.”
Wu said he adheres to the idea that “both sides of the Strait belong to the same family” and supports the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Former Mainland Affairs Council minister Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up the so-called consensus in 2000, which refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Wu last week in Shanghai held a soft opening for his first shop in China, but met with criticism from Chinese netizens who accused him of saying that he would “rather starve to death than [bring his brand] to China.”
Wu in his statement denied having ever said that.
He issued another statement after the first one sparked outrage in Taiwan, in which he said he is only a bakery owner and is not equipped to resolve cross-strait problems.
Hopefully, his bread could become “an ambassador for cross-strait exchanges,” he added.
Kaohsiung mayor-elect Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday supported Wu at a news conference in the city, calling on Taiwanese to support and cherish the world-renowned baker.
“Both sides of the Taiwan Strait have their differences of opinion. I hope people on both sides could help, protect and give their blessings to a simple businessman who wishes to develop his business without becoming too involved in politics,” Han said, adding that there is no need to repeatedly state ideologies.
Wu declined to elaborate on his decision to issue the statements, only saying that he is simply a professional baker who has endeavored to befriend and inspire the younger generation.
Han’s office said the mayor-elect decided to attend the news conference to support local businesses, put aside politics and focus on economic growth.
Wu rose to fame after he won the title of Bakery Master in the bread category at the 2010 Bakery World Cup in Paris.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
CAUTION URGED: Xiaohongshu and Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — are tools the Chinese government uses for its ‘united front’ propaganda, the MAC said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged people who use Chinese social media platforms to be cautious of being influenced by Beijing’s “united front” propaganda and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty. Chiu made the remarks in response to queries about Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) saying that as young Taiwanese are fond of interacting on Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), “after unification with China, it would be easier to govern Taiwan than Hong Kong.” Zhang is professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University and director of its China Institute. When giving a speech at China’s Wuhan
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese