Taiwan’s economic development could be at risk if its dependence on China for trade and economic prosperity continues to rise, former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday.
Lee made the statement at a forum organized by the Lee Teng-hui Association for Democracy, a political association founded in 2010 with the aim of deepening democracy in the country.
The event was also co-organized by the Taiwan Advocates, a think tank founded by the former president, and the Taiwan Association of University Professors.
The host organization read the statement on behalf of Lee, who was unable to attend the event in person because he was recovering from flu.
“The key objective of Taiwan’s national economic security is to enforce its survival and developmental capacity in the current global economic system, based on two pillars — an identity built upon economic and trade independence and sustainable growth built on technological advantages,” Lee said.
However, an administration that puts Taiwan’s economy solely in the hands of China will put the country’s future development at risk, Lee said in the statement.
“Taiwan should confront and seek to address a widening wealth gap, which has given rise to calls to curb social injustice, a growing economic dependence on China that could imperil the country’s sovereignty and the impact of a changing international political and economic environment,” the 89-year-old wrote.
Lee wrote that two other problems face Taiwan: the effects of globalization and cross-strait development following China’s emergence as a strong economy.
Lee said that globalization has prompted the industrial sectors of many countries to migrate to China over the past two decades, but an overestimation on the scale effect of international economic integration has hindered the policy’s efficacy.
On the current administration’s insistence on pushing through the cross-strait Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), the former president said the major concerns of the government should be national sovereignty and security.
“In light of Taiwan’s China-leaning stance on its trade and economy, the country should not only work to consolidate relations on an equal footing, but should also maintain its stance at negotiations and never back down on any bargaining terms,” Lee said.
Lee said Taiwan should make an all-out effort to reinforce national competitiveness to better cope with changes in economic trends, adding that the public should regard it as a priority.
Lee concluded by urging “the opposition parties to fulfill their duty of supervising the government and make efforts to help boost Taiwan’s national competitiveness.”
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
RSS