Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) upcoming trip to China, saying that departing for an authoritarian country on Taiwan’s Freedom of Speech Day strikes a “raw nerve.”
Cheng is scheduled to lead a KMT delegation to China from Saturday next week to April 12 on the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
The itinerary includes stops in Jiangsu Province, Shanghai and Beijing. It did not specify a meeting with Xi, which Cheng has been pushing for.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Speaking during a legislative session in Taipei, Cho criticized the schedule as provocative.
“April 7 is Taiwan’s Freedom of Speech Day, yet she is traveling to a country without freedom of speech,” Cho said. “This timing, arranged by the other side, is clearly meant to touch a raw nerve domestically.”
The premier also warned the KMT against acceding to Beijing’s political framework.
If Cheng approaches any dialogue supporting the so-called “1992 consensus” and Beijing’s “one China” principle, it would be detrimental to Taiwan’s national interests, he said.
Polling consistently shows that Taiwanese do not accept the “1992 consensus,” nor does the international community universally subscribe to Beijing’s “one China” principle, Cho added.
He was responding to Cheng’s comments the day before that “the entire world follows the ‘one China’ policy and does not support Taiwanese independence.”
The so-called “1992 consensus” — a term that former Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) echoed the premier’s concerns, urging the KMT delegation to defend Taiwan’s sovereignty and avoid falling into the CCP’s “united front” trap.
Accepting Beijing’s narrative would only divide Taiwanese society, damage national morale and send misleading signals to the global community, Chiu said.
Cho and Chiu reminded the KMT that any cross-strait interactions must strictly adhere to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), under which unauthorized political agreements with China are prohibited, and contraventions could result in up to five years in prison.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Yi-ying (邱議瑩) questioned the trip’s transparency, saying that the sudden invitation coincides with the legislature’s review of the defense budget and expressions of concern from the US.
Demanding transparency regarding the delegation’s roster, she expressed concern over whether members of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee would participate and potentially compromise classified information.
“My worry is not about what agreements she might sign, but that she is going there to receive orders from Xi to continue disrupting the government and weakening Taiwan’s national defense,” she said.
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
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
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
RSS