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.”
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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