The government yesterday vowed to defend national sovereignty and the safety of all Taiwanese after China sanctioned two Cabinet ministers, accusing them of “separatism.”
Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) and Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) were added to Beijing’s list of “Taiwanese independence diehards,” while Chen Shu-yi (陳舒怡) of the High Prosecutors’ Office was named as an “accomplice.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) told a news conference that Liu and Cheng have committed numerous actions backing independence, “angering people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
Photo: Lee Wen-hsin, Taipei Times
Chen accused Liu of promoting independence, “suppressing cross-strait exchanges and persecuting Chinese spouses living in Taiwan,” and Chen of “compiling pro-independence teaching materials” and “poisoning the minds” of young people.
The office called on the public to provide evidence of Liu’s and Cheng’s “crimes.”
Liu and Cheng said that the accusations would not deter them.
“My commitment to defending national sovereignty, and a free and democratic way of life will not change, and I will continue to safeguard Taiwan,” she said.
The Fundamental Act of Education (教育基本法) says that the right to education revolves around the people, and that education’s purpose is to instill, among other traits, moral character, patriotism and understanding of democracy, Cheng said.
The Ministry of Education has been fulfilling its lawful duties as defined by the act and would continue to do so unflinchingly, he said.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) told reporters on the sidelines of a legislative hearing in Taipei that Beijing’s so-called “diehards” are “steadfast defenders of the Republic of China’s existence, fighting Chinese communist infiltration.”
“The government will persevere with full faith that those targeted will not change their views,” Liang said.
Separately, the MAC said that those being sanctioned by China have implemented strong and effective measures to counter Beijing’s pressure, infiltration and espionage campaigns.
China’s goal is not to harm the people on its sanction list, but assert the right to treat Taiwan as an internal territory and to sow internal division in the nation, concurrent with efforts to cultivate local collaborators, it said.
Beijing’s intimidation would never shake the resolve of Taiwanese to defend freedom and democracy, it said, adding that the government would dauntlessly uphold sovereignty, the rule of law and the well-being of Taiwanese.
China must take full responsibility for the consequences of its actions after undermining stability across the Taiwan Strait with its provocations, the MAC said.
Deputy Minister of Justice Huang Mou-hsin (黃謀信) said that Taiwan does not brook challenges to its sovereignty and his ministry fully supports prosecutors carrying out their duties.
District prosecutors’ offices have been ordered to take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of staff and punish collaborators who break the law on Beijing’s behalf, Huang said.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu and Wang Ting-chuan
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN agency, as it failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist, O’Neill wrote on X on Friday, Taiwan time. “It ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns.” The US will “continue international coordination on infectious
RSS