Opposition leaders yesterday unanimously expressed their regret and protest over the uncivil manner in which China has treated Taiwan at APEC, but differed as to whether it was appropriate for Taiwan to be absent from the summit.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) said both China's hostility toward Taiwan and the DPP government's "lack of wisdom and experience" in handling such complicated international affairs are responsible for the stalemate.
"The government should take responsibility for the failure and tell the people what its remedial measures are," Lien said.
It is regrettable that China, as the host country, has made a decision that is damaging to bilateral relations and the international image of both sides, Lien said.
Lien said Taiwan has the right and obligation to participate in the APEC meeting, and the KMT supports any measures taken by the government to protect the dignity of the nation.
However, the DPP's inexperience and incompetence in dealing with the matter appropriately are also to blame for Taiwan's absence in the APEC summit, Lien said.
During his tenure as premier, Lien noted, he handled similar problems for as many as five annual APEC meetings and was able to accomplish the job on each occasion.
"It is of the utmost importance that Taiwan appear at international events and let our voice be heard in the international community. The government has always been able to fulfill this task in the past," Lien said.
People First Party Chairman James Soong (
"This isn't helpful to the development of cross-strait relations in the future. It has hurt the pride of the Taiwanese people and increased their resentment toward the Chinese communists," Soong said.
Agreeing with Lien, Soong said there is room for improvement in the way Taiwan's government and its delegates have handled the matter.
Soong said that, while Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (
Unlike Lien and Soong, Taiwan Solidarity Union Chairman Huang Chu-wen (
"This is a matter concerning the nation's dignity and autonomy, which doesn't allow any compromise," Huang said.
Huang urged voters to condemn the pro-China parties and politicians who are always trying to please China and cannot wait to go to China to shake hands with Beijing officials.
A Chinese aircraft carrier group entered Japan’s economic waters over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets, the Japanese Ministry of Defense said yesterday. The Liaoning aircraft carrier, two missile destroyers and one fast combat supply ship sailed about 300km southwest of Japan’s easternmost island of Minamitori on Saturday, a ministry statement said. It was the first time a Chinese aircraft carrier had entered that part of Japan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), a ministry spokesman said. “We think the Chinese military is trying to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas,” the spokesman said. China’s growing
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
PUBLIC WARNING: The two students had been tricked into going to Hong Kong for a ‘high-paying’ job, which sent them to a scam center in Cambodia Police warned the public not to trust job advertisements touting high pay abroad following the return of two college students over the weekend who had been trafficked and forced to work at a cyberscam center in Cambodia. The two victims, surnamed Lee (李), 18, and Lin (林), 19, were interviewed by police after landing in Taiwan on Saturday. Taichung’s Chingshui Police Precinct said in a statement yesterday that the two students are good friends, and Lin had suspended her studies after seeing the ad promising good pay to work in Hong Kong. Lee’s grandfather on Thursday reported to police that Lee had sent
A Chinese ship ran aground in stormy weather in shallow waters off a Philippines-controlled island in the disputed South China Sea, prompting Filipino forces to go on alert, Philippine military officials said yesterday. When Philippine forces assessed that the Chinese fishing vessel appeared to have run aground in the shallows east of Thitu Island (Jhongye Island, 中業島) on Saturday due to bad weather, Philippine military and coast guard personnel deployed to provide help, but later saw that the ship had been extricated, Philippine navy regional spokesperson Ellaine Rose Collado said. No other details were immediately available, including if there were injuries among
RSS