It is imperative for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to rebuild its relations with society and facilitate closer engagement with China’s civic movments, academics said yesterday.
The DPP has lost its touch in managing social issues and its relations with Taiwan’s civil society have soured, while at the same time it has never fully understood the emerging civil society in China, former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said at the conclusion of a closed-door meeting on the issue, which she chaired.
Rebuilding a constructive partnership between the party and civil society and improving its understanding of social issues would help the DPP find “a new shared idea” between the party and its supporters, Tsai said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Almost everyone at the meeting agreed that the DPP has a long way to go in terms of its understanding of China.
Collaboration with civil societies across the Taiwan Strait could help change the structure of the bilateral relations altogether, Tsai said in summing up dozens of participants’ comments.
Chinese dissident Wang Dan (王丹), who now teaches in Taiwan, urged the DPP to build contacts with Chinese NGOs, reporters, intellectuals, liberal government officials, business leaders, human rights lawyers and students.
It would be also important for the DPP to distinguish between China and the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese government as distinct from Chinese society, in its policies, Wang said.
Observing the recent civic movements in Taiwan that have organized large protests, Academia Sinica fellow Wu Jieh-min (吳介民) said there could be three scenarios for future civil movements — being absorbed by political parties, a parallel development and competition with political parties or replacing current political parties.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
RSS