The North America Taiwanese Professors’ Association (NATPA) together with several activist organizations in Taiwan on Friday released a joint declaration titled “Defend Democracy, Sustaining Taiwan.”
“Taiwan continues to face military threats from the Communist regime in China,” the declaration said. “The only way for Taiwan to survive is to forge close alliances with other democracies.”
NATPA president Cheng Li-lin (鄭麗伶) at a news conference in Taipei urged people to reject the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Photo: CNA
The “1992 consensus” refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up the term in 2000 to break a cross-strait deadlock and lessen tensions.
Cheng said while China’s economy is “collapsing,” the Chinese government is still undermining the foundation of Taiwan’s economic development with “sweet talk” and “empty promises” to attract Taiwanese businesses and obtain their trade secrets.
“We are worried about the outcome of next year’s elections, which would decide the nation’s future,” she said. “Do people want to walk together with other democratic countries, or get closer to China’s authoritarian regime?”
It is now a crucial time for next year’s presidential election campaigns, which is why many Taiwanese living overseas have expressed their concerns and released this declaration to urge the citizens to follow the trends of democracies worldwide, Taiwan Association of University Professors chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said.
There are people in Taiwan living under the “fantasy of the Chinese motherland,” embracing the country as a friend and even kowtowing to its leaders, Chen said.
“China is not our motherland, and it is not the same nation as ours,” he said. “Taiwanese people have their own democratic nation, so we must safeguard our freedom and defend our sovereignty.”
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