A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party.
Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face the right subject.
Photo: Lo Kuo-chia, Taipei Times
Everyone knows that China wants to annex Taiwan, so there are not only “green communists,” but “blue communists” and “white communists” as well, as the ruling party and opposition parties are targets of Beijing’s infiltration, he said.
Taiwanese, regardless of party affiliation, should work together to fight against communism and protect the nation, Lai said.
If people really want to fight against dictatorship, they should do it on Tiananmen Square, or at least not grovel to officials when they visit China, he said, alluding to meetings between KMT members and Chinese officials during visits to China.
They should fight for the nation’s sovereignty in the face of dictators, and be brave and convey Taiwanese’s wish to live a life with democracy, freedom and human rights, and ask the dictator to give up on using force to invade Taiwan and seek peace across the Strait, he added.
Taiwan’s democracy was hard-earned and should be cherished by the ruling and opposition parties, Lai said.
An essence of democracy is the rule of law, so all parties should come to the consensus that any party or person who breaks the law should be dealt with by the judicial system in accordance with the law, he said.
Parties should not attack the judicial system just because their party members are being investigated for alleged illegal behaviors, he said.
Their failure to reflect and attempts to frame judicial cases as political ones would greatly damage democracy, he added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or