The Taiwan Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Japan condemned China for its political interference with Taiwanese choirs participating in the Tokyo International Choir Competition.
Six Taiwanese choirs — Nibun Chorus, a choir from Sinapalan Elementary School in Nantou County, Bukulav Kids Troupe from Xingzhong Elementary School in Kaohsiung, Ching-Yun Choir, Hngzyang na Nahuy & Mary Children’s Choir and the Octangle Male Choir — were part of the competition held from Friday to yesterday.
The office said that Chinese authorities had pressured the event organizers to remove Taiwan’s national flag and change the participants’ name from “Taiwan” to “Chinese Taipei.”
Photo: CNA
The office was notified of the situation on Saturday evening and promptly asked Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩), who had accompanied the choirs, to assist in communicating with the competition organizers.
Japan-ROC Diet Members’ Consultative Council Chairman Keiji Furuya also voiced support in defense of Taiwan, but the organizers ultimately yielded to China’s demands, unilaterally changing the name to “Chinese Taipei” and deciding not to display any national flags for the participating countries.
Music transcends national borders and is a universal art enjoyed by all people, the office said, adding that for the past six years, Taiwanese choirs have always used the name “Taiwan” in the competition.
Photo: CNA
However, this year, China intervened politically, distorting the art of music and offending Taiwanese, the office said, adding that it strongly condemned such actions, which it called despicable.
It also expressed deep regret over the organizer’s partial acquiescence to China’s demands, making unauthorized changes to Taiwan’s name, and has lodged a stern protest.
To support the Taiwanese choirs, the office sent Deputy Representative to Japan Chou Shyue-yow (周學佑) and 16 colleagues to cheer them on and prevent further interference by China.
Representative to Japan Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) said that recent polls show 88 percent of Taiwanese feel close to or trust Japan, while nearly 90 percent of Japanese hold a negative view of China, and Japan’s annual defense white paper also highlighted China’s growing military activity, labeling it the greatest strategic threat.
The Japanese public knows that Taiwan and China are two distinct countries, he said, adding that China’s brutal political tactics to suppress Taiwan’s choirs are likely to trigger anger among Japanese, escalating the situation and backfiring by revealing China’s shortcomings.
Taiwan, known for its high-tech industry, freedom and democracy, is a country liked globally, with its choirs winning numerous international competitions, achievements which have allowed the world to experience Taiwan’s art and culture, Lee said.
While Taiwan is increasingly gaining worldwide attention and recognition, China’s arrogant suppression cannot change the fact that “Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China,” he said, adding that China would not succeed in its attempts to suppress Taiwan.
Lee also voiced his sympathy for the Taiwanese teams and athletes who, in addition to competing, have to bear the burden of Chinese political interference.
However, he said that Taiwanese and the global Taiwanese community would continue to offer unwavering support.
Taiwan is confident that it would grow stronger and garner more international backing, Lee said, adding that Taiwanese teams would continue to deliver their best performances, allowing the world to embrace Taiwan even more.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday inaugurated the Danjiang Bridge across the Tamsui River in New Taipei City, saying that the structure would be an architectural icon and traffic artery for Taiwan. Feted as a major engineering achievement, the Danjiang Bridge is 920m long, 211m tall at the top of its pylon, and is the longest single-pylon asymmetric cable-stayed bridge in the world, the government’s Web site for the structure said. It was designed by late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The structure, with a maximum deck of 70m, accommodates road and light rail traffic, and affords a 200m navigation channel for boats,
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
RSS