Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday urged the incoming Democratic Progressive Party (DDP) government to maintain cross-strait peace and stability, saying it not only serves Taiwan’s national interests but is also the US’ top expectation of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, to be inaugurated on May 20.
Wu made the remarks when receiving a delegation of US specialists on East Asian security at the Presidential Office Building yesterday morning.
Among the delegation were Brookings Institution Center for East Asia Policy Studies director Richard Bush, Center for Strategic and International Studies senior adviser Bonnie Glaser, Stimson Center East Asia program director Alan Romberg and US National Defense University Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs director Phillip Saunders.
In a nation that has experienced three transfers of power such as Taiwan, elections have become a normal practice, Wu said in a speech.
“Our nation’s new president and vice president were elected on Jan. 16 and are set to be sworn in on May 20. We are like runners in a relay race. After finishing our part, the people will choose the next team to whom we should pass the baton,” Wu said.
Wu said while it is the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) turn to take a backseat, members would continue to support and cheer for the new administration, because Taiwan would only prosper if every participant in the race “runs fast and steady.”
Shortly after January’s election, the US Department of State issued a statement congratulating Taiwanese for demonstrating the strength of their robust democratic system, Wu said.
“While the US praised our nation’s democratic development, it also encouraged continued dialogue between both sides of the Taiwan Strait and the maintenance of the current peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said.
“Maintaining stable cross-strait ties so that the US is at ease and there are no surprises is not only in our best interests, but is also what the US looks for most,” Wu said.
Calling the so-called “1992 consensus” and “one China, with different interpretations” the wisest words of the past six decades, Wu said it is President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policy of “no unification, no independence and no use of force” that has enabled peaceful and stable cross-strait ties.
“Such an achievement is not something that falls from the sky,” Wu added.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 when he was head of the council, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Wu also urged Taiwanese to refrain from clinging to wishful thinking by believing that if Taiwan declared independence and engaged in a military conflict against China, the US would intervene and send troops.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
RSS