A cross-caucus statement issued after a provisional session at the Legislative Yuan yesterday called on the Hong Kong government to scrap its controversial extradition bill and to refrain from using force against protesters.
Legislators also called on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration to offer support to Hong Kong protesters on the basis of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau (香港澳門關係條例).
Lawmakers spent the morning discussing the content of the statement, which was signed in the afternoon.
Photo: Lu Yi-hsuan, Taipei Times
The statement, read aloud at 5pm, said the caucuses were united in their condemnation of the Hong Kong government for its excessive use of force against protesters who were expressing the will of the Hong Kong people.
“Freedom and democracy are universally valued rights that cannot not be infringed upon under the pretense of fighting crime,” it said.
The government should invoke Article 18 of the Act Governing Relations with Hong Kong and Macau to provide protesters with assistance on the basis of protecting them from an “urgent threat to their safety and freedoms,” the statement said.
The statement was signed by Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), DPP deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), DPP caucus secretary-general Cheng Yun-peng (鄭運鵬), People First Party (PFP) acting caucus whip Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), PFP deputy caucus whip Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔), New Power Party deputy caucus whip Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗) and KMT Legislator Arthur Chen (陳宜民).
FIVE-YEAR WINDOW? A defense institute CEO said a timeline for a potential Chinese invasion was based on expected ‘tough measures’ when Xi Jinping seeks a new term Most Taiwanese are willing to defend the nation against a Chinese attack, but the majority believe Beijing is unlikely to invade within the next five years, a poll showed yesterday. The poll carried out last month was commissioned by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, a Taipei-based think tank, and released ahead of Double Ten National Day today, when President William Lai (賴清德) is to deliver a speech. China maintains a near-daily military presence around Taiwan and has held three rounds of war games in the past two years. CIA Director William Burns last year said that Chinese President Xi Jinping
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday said that China has “no right to represent Taiwan,” but stressed that the nation was willing to work with Beijing on issues of mutual interest. “The Republic of China has already put down roots in Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu,” Lai said in his first Double Ten National Day address outside the Presidential Office Building in Taipei. “And the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China [PRC] are not subordinate to each other.” “The People’s Republic of China has no right to represent Taiwan,” he said at the event marking the 113th National Day of
REACTION TO LAI: A former US official said William Lai took a step toward stability with his National Day speech and the question was how Beijing would respond US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday warned China against taking any “provocative” action on Taiwan after Beijing’s reaction to President William Lai’s (賴清德) speech on Double Ten National Day on Thursday. Blinken, speaking in Laos after an ASEAN East Asia Summit, called the speech by Lai, in which he vowed to “resist annexation,” a “regular exercise.” “China should not use it in any fashion as a pretext for provocative actions,” Blinken told reporters. “On the contrary, we want to reinforce — and many other countries want to reinforce — the imperative of preserving the status quo, and neither party taking any
SPEECH IMPEDIMENT? The state department said that using routine celebrations or public remarks as a pretext for provocation would undermine peace and stability Beijing’s expected use of President William Lai’s (賴清德) Double Ten National Day speech today as a pretext for provocative measures would undermine peace and stability, the US Department of State said on Tuesday. Taiwanese officials have said that China is likely to launch military drills near Taiwan in response to Lai’s speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims. A state department spokesperson said it could not speculate on what China would or would not do. “However, it is worth emphasizing that using routine annual celebrations or public remarks as a pretext or excuse for provocative or coercive
RSS