The Council of Indigenous Peoples yesterday castigated a former legislator for repeating “united front” slogans during an exchange event in China, saying that Taiwan’s indigenous peoples are “not descendants of the Yellow Emperor.”
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator and National Dong Hwa University professor Yosi Takun recently attended an event hosted by China’s Yunnan Minzu University.
Taiwan’s indigenous peoples are of Austronesian descent, speak Austronesian languages, and have an independent identity and culture, the council said in a statement yesterday.
Photo from the Yunnan Minzu University Web site
Experts criticized the event as a targeted “cultural united front” tactic seeking to reduce the subjectivity of the Austronesian-speaking peoples of Taiwan and define Taiwanese indigenous people as a Chinese ethnic minority.
National Cheng Kung University political science professor Hung Ching-fu (洪敬富) on Tuesday said that the banner — which read: “Both sides of the Strait share the same ancestry, Zhonghua spirit and are one big family” (同宗同祖中華魂、兩岸一家心連心) — flown at the event made no sense and was a blatant “united front” move.
Taiwan’s indigenous peoples are not descendants of Chinese emperors nor an ethnic minority, as defined by the Chinese government, the council added, rebuking Yosi’s claim that “minority cultures are an important part of Chinese civilization.”
Linguists said Taiwan’s indigenous languages share a deep historical and cultural connection with Austronesian languages, and are not connected to the Sino-Tibetan language family, it said.
They are not from the same ancestry, as claimed by China, it added.
Indigenous peoples are not a political tool, and any exchanges must be built on mutual respect and equality without pushing any political agenda, the council said.
Yunnan, as one of the most ethnically diverse provinces in China, has long been considered by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a base to implement its “united front” rhetoric against Taiwan’s indigenous people, Hung said.
Yosi attending the event and accepting the position of visiting professor might result in many Taiwanese indigenous students at his university being drawn to Yunnan Minzu University, Hung said
Hung questioned the legality of Yosi’s visiting professor role, saying that if it was a paid position, the Ministry of Education and national security agencies should launch investigations.
Yosi said that he intended to foster future cross-strait exchanges between academics and students to facilitate cultural interaction and allow the next generation to build mutual understandings while exploring possible innovation.
A source, commenting on condition of anonymity, said that the event was hosted by the Yunnan Provincial Government’s Taiwan Affairs Office and organized by the Yunnan Minzu University.
The CCP invited delegations from the Taiwanese indigenous community, representatives of the Taiwan-Yunnan Association, the Taiwanese Businesspeople in Yunnan Association and the New Century Culture Arts Group, the source said.
Anyone participating in exchanges in China must remain highly vigilant and ensure that they are not exploited by the CCP in ways that contradict Taiwan’s democratic values and the dignity of indigenous peoples, the council said.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man