Peace is Taiwan’s goal, but it cannot be achieved through a single agreement, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that defending the Republic of China (ROC) must begin with safeguarding Taiwan, as the ROC can only exist if Taiwan exists.
Lai made the remark in an address at a ceremony in Kaohsiung, during which he presented certificates to restore the reputation of victims of the state during the nation’s authoritarian period.
Under the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) authoritarian rule, martial law was declared on May 20, 1949, and lasted for 38 years, Lai said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Presidential Office’s Flickr page
During that dark period, the state apparatus did not protect the public, but instead persecuted them and violated their human rights, resulting in many being imprisoned or killed, he added.
“How fortunate Taiwan is to have transitioned into a democratic era,” Lai said.
“Over the past few decades, democratic Taiwan has become clearly defined on the international stage by its 23 million people,” he said. “Taiwan has become a beacon of democracy in Asia, enjoying a life of freedom and democracy.”
“We must not forget the past. In the future, certificates of restored honor must continue to be issued to those affected, and such tragedies must never be allowed to happen in Taiwan again,” he added.
As president and the commander-in-chief of the nation’s armed forces, Lai said he is responsible for protecting the nation and the safety of its people.
Although there are differences in national identity in Taiwan, one fundamental principle must be upheld, which is that “the ROC can only exist if Taiwan exists,” Lai said.
He reiterated his commitment to upholding the democratic and free constitutional system, as well as the fact that the ROC and the People’s Republic of China are not subordinate to each other, and to firmly safeguard Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“Taiwan must use democracy as its compass, and peace as its beacon,” Lai said.
“While it is important to have ideals about peace, we must not harbor illusions,” he said.
“Peace cannot be achieved through a single agreement. Believing that signing a peace agreement will bring peace is wishful thinking,” Lai said. “That is false peace, and accepting China’s so-called ‘1992 consensus’ or ‘one China’ principle will not bring peace either.”
“Peace must be built on a foundation of strength,” he said, adding that only by bolstering national defense and enhancing defensive capabilities could Taiwan achieve true peace “through deterrence to prevent war, and preparedness to avoid war.”
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official yesterday said that a delegation that visited China for an APEC meeting did not receive any kind of treatment that downgraded Taiwan’s sovereignty. Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) said that he and a group of ministry officials visited Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting last month. The trip went “smoothly and safely” for all Taiwanese delegates, as the Chinese side arranged the trip in accordance with long-standing practices, Sun said at the ministry’s weekly briefing. The Taiwanese group did not encounter any political suppression, he said. Sun made the remarks when
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
BROAD AGREEMENT: The two are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff to 15% and a commitment for TSMC to build five more fabs, a ‘New York Times’ report said Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday reported that the two nations are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to building at least five more facilities in the US. “The agreement, which has been under negotiation for months, is being legally scrubbed and could be announced this month,” the paper said,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
RSS