Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday promoted “cross-strait integration” (兩岸統合) as a model for keeping peace between Taiwan and China, while announcing that she would be organizing activities to promote her ideas.
A series of national affairs forums is being planned to encourage public discussion about her political integration model, she said, addressing a gathering at the “Her-Story, 50 Years for New Women” special exhibition at Tainan’s Wu Family Garden.
Attending the event was former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), whose family is from Tainan.
Photo: Hung Jui-chin, Taipei Times
Lu said that “cross-strait integration” should replace “cross-strait unification” (兩岸統一), while calling on Beijing to take up the “one Zhonghua” (一個中華) concept, instead of “one China” (一個中國) idea.
Zhonghua means “Chinese.”
It is difficult to promote “unification,” as very few people in Taiwan would accept it, while integration can be discussed as it is broader in scope, Lu said.
The nations could then move toward forming a “Zhonghua confederation” (中華邦聯), which would encourage closer political and economic ties across the Strait, she said.
Lu has advocated the confederation model over the past few years.
She said her idea is based on the formation of the EU, or regional blocs such as ASEAN and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
“In facing the threat of war, the Taiwanese government must push its soft power... I am presenting these ideas because Taiwan’s ruling and opposition parties have not provided any new policies for cross-strait relations,” Lu said. “Our young people are lost, with no clear direction.”
To advocate her political ideas, Lu has is planning a rally dubbed “Peace and Love for Taiwan,” co-organized with several major religious organizations.
Lu’s idea is to promote peace in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The rally was scheduled for May 14, but due to the COVID-19 outbreak has been postponed to Aug. 14, she said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members in the audience were conspicuous in their lack of support for Lu’s ideas.
Chen said: “I will not talk about this today,” while other politicians also declined to comment.
Political experts have said that Lu has drifted from the DPP, and most party members and supporters disagree with most of her ideas.
Forming a confederation with China would mean giving up Taiwan’s sovereignty and democratic way of life, they said.
Professor Chang Cheng-shuh (張正修), a former political strategist for the DPP and a former Examination Yuan member, said that most DPP supporters see Lu as using her controversial concepts to get closer to the pro-China political camps.
“Most people now view Lu as a former politician who has outdated ideas, and has no popular support, so she has taken up more far-out positions to ... gain public attention and media coverage,” Chang said. “Lu is trying to stay relevant ... but she is out of touch with the current generation.”
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
TRANSPORT DISRUPTION: More than 100 ferry services were suspended due to rough seas and strong winds, and eight domestic flights were canceled, the ministry said Tropical Storm Wipha intensified slightly yesterday as it passed closest to Taiwan, dumping more than 200mm of rain in Hualien and Taitung counties, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 11am, Wipha was about 210km southwest of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and was moving west-northwest at 27km per hour (kph). The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 101kph and gusts reaching 126kph, with a 150km radius of strong winds, CWA data showed. Wipha’s outer rainbands began sweeping across Taiwan early yesterday, delivering steady rainfall in the east and scattered showers in other regions, forecasters said. More heavy rain was expected, especially in the eastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity