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.”
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS