- CCP lines up tourism to the South (Zhejiang tourism teams to visit southern Taiwan in spring - CNA via Taiwan News)
The city government has since come under pressure to work out measures to respond to speculation that Chinese tourists are boycotting Kaohsiung over the issues.
As part of their efforts to save local tourism, Lai and Pingtung County and Kaohsiung County officials joined the industry alliance in traveling to Hangzhou and Ningbo, where they held two tourism promotion events to spark interest in southern Taiwan as a travel destination among Chinese tour operators, Lai said.The use of the word 'save' implies that something is in danger but the only thing that has changed for the south is that dollars from Chinese tours that were expected have not come leaving those who banked on them coming out of pocket. I find the suggestion that Chinese tourists are boycotting areas of Taiwan over issues a little incredulous. More credulous would be pressure put on tour operators to avoid the south as punishment for their non-compliant nature (as opposed to the north where I predict selling PRC / Taiwan SAR flags will soon be a thriving business). There's a saying that putting all your eggs in one basket ...
- Taiwanese fear dependence (Taiwanese wary of dependence on PRC - Taipei Times)
More than 60 percent of Taiwanese worry that Taiwan’s economy depends too much on China, while as many as 75 percent of young people in the country consider themselves Taiwanese, not Chinese, the results of a CommonWealth magazine poll showed. (English Results of Survey)
Foundation on Asia-Pacific Peace Studies chairman Chao Chun-shan (趙春山) was quoted by the magazine as saying that, in similar polls in the past, most people would choose the option “Taiwanese but also Chinese” because they identified with Chinese culture and Chinese ethnicity.
However, nowadays the term “China” tends to represent the People’s Republic of China, and thus Taiwanese people identify more with Taiwan. (This is something that the KMT objects to as a contrived and misleading shift in the meaning of China as I covered in my post last week on polls)
- China is the obstacle (China is biggest roadblock: legislators - Taipei Times)
China remains the biggest impediment to Taiwan’s bid to join international organizations and this issue should be discussed in upcoming cross-strait talks, legislators across party lines said yesterday.
Both Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers criticized Beijing for continuing to obstruct Taiwan’s efforts to gain more international space despite the recent cross-strait diplomatic detente.
Speaking at the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Yang (楊進添) said China was still the biggest impediment to Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, such as its bid to become an observer at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
If Beijing were truly sincere in extending its goodwill, it should reciprocate the “diplomatic truce” by loosening its grip on Taiwan’s bid to join international bodies such as the UNFCCC, KMT Legislator Liu Sheng-liang (劉盛良) said.
- We're doomed without an ECFA, the tariffs will kill us (Taiwan must sign ECFA to avoid falling behind: Ma - Taipei Times). The President has said this many times now yet the numbers of those supporting an ECFA keep falling. The logic of the argument is quite clear. When China and ASEAN implement new free trade agreements, Taiwanese products to the region will be more expensive but if we sign ECFA then MAYBE China will keep Taiwan favourable tariffs too and MAYBE Taiwan can sign FTAs with other countries, except that China has not promised that it will allow either to happen. Taiwan will I predict economically marginalised because it is banking on income from China whereas I suspect what China wants is control over the economy here and pulling wealth out of the country to increase that dependence.
- Government feigns annoyance with China to please a domestic audience that is suspicious of China's intentions? (Health minister berates ARATS - Taipei Times)
“I am disappointed and upset about ARATS’ response. The request will be filed during the meeting next week,” Department of Health Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) told legislators at the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee yesterday morning.
He said that ARATS’ response to the Sanlu group’s bankruptcy came too late and that more than 12 companies in Taiwan had no means to request compensation for the estimated losses of NT$700 million (US$21 million) they suffered during the tainted milk incident.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Sue-ying (黃淑英) said the incident took place more than a year ago, when milk powder products from Sanlu, a Chinese manufacturer, tested positive for melamine. The SEF forwarded the compensation request from Taiwanese companies to ARATS on Jan. 5, but ARATS did not respond until June 22. ARATS’ second response arrived last month, when the DOH was told that Sanlu was out of business and had gone bankrupt. (Perhaps herein lies a clue to China's attitude toward Taiwanese businesses?)
- Transparency? (Taiwan cross-straits envoy refuses to address Legislature over China talks - Taiwan News).
Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman P.K. Chiang on Thursday refused to present a report at the Legislative Yuan about next week’s talks with Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin.
Speaking at a news conference Thursday, Chiang said he would not attend any legislative committee meetings because of his status as the head of a semi-official body.
“I am a private citizen, so I can only attend committee meetings after a decision by the full Legislature,” Chiang said.Just to confirm, a private citizen is chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation, a semi-official government body created to handle formal interaction with China via their ARATS body. This position is of vital importance given the number and scope of official and semi-official interactions between the KMT and CCP yet Mr Chiang considers himself 'private' and by the sounds of it barely accountable. The annexation will never be official - it will be 'private' and 'semi-official' or 'de facto' if you will. Notice also the implying that the DPP is irrational and leaving a negative impression ahead of the entirely peaceful Sunday 12/20 protest march then notice how Chiang cares particularly about 'Chinese Media' (which he no doubt conflates Taiwanese media within) and finally you get the picture when you see how he divides the world in 'Chinese and International' media - no mention of Taiwanese media, the ones originally recording and propagating his statements.
The DPP members of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee wanted to hear Chiang Thursday morning but when only his deputy Kao Koong-lian showed up, the meeting was adjourned.
Protests were normal in a democratic society, the paper quoted Chiang as saying, but those protests should be rational and not leave a negative impression with international and Chinese media.
- Taiwanese not happy with Chen-Chiang talks (Taiwan DPP poll finds strong dissatisfaction with China talks - Taiwan News)
As many as 87.6 percent of Taiwanese polled for a DPP survey did not know what next week’s talks were about, the party said. A total of 92.2 percent opposed the agreement on agricultural standards if it led to Chinese farm products being imported without testing and sold freely in Taiwan because they conformed to Chinese standards.
Looking back at four agreements concluded during Chen’s first visit to Taiwan in November last year, 51.6 percent said the Taiwanese economy did not benefit from them. The accords introduced direct cargo aviation and shipping links, more direct postal links, and emphasized food safety. Only 23.6 percent of poll respondents said the measures did contribute to Taiwan’s economy, the DPP said.
Almost half, or 48.5 percent, approved of protests planned by the opposition party against the Chen visit. The DPP wants to rally 100,000 protesters in Taichung on December 20, the eve of the Chinese envoy’s arrival, and organize other events each day of his stay.
A survey carried out by the opposition party finding results in its favour is not unusual. What made this article interesting was the spat that erupted between the DPP and the China Times over the figure of 48.5% of people approving the protest yesterday:
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu has time and again (implies the DPP are not listening or reasonable and possibly violent) asked the protesters to be rational and not cause harm to the city, recalling the protest at Yuanshan in Taipei City last year, which turned into a violent confrontation when similar talks were held last year.
According to an opinion poll conducted by the China Times, 53 percent of respondents did not agree with the DPP's plan to stage protests at this time. DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen said, however, that she would only accept the result of a DPP opinion poll, which found that 49 percent of respondents backed the DPP plan to take to the streets to voice their appeals.
We do not know how the DPP conducted its poll.
But we would like to remind Tsai that after the incident at Yuanshan, the Kuomintang's support rating did not go up, and support for the DPP and its chairwoman Tsai also remained low. Taiwan is not a country which will tolerate violence. No one in this country will ask for confrontation. This is the simplest truth. ( A heavy ladling of Confucian values here. Taiwan won't tolerate violence except that that is exactly what they had to do during 38 years of Martial Law and tolerated when the police beat protesters and took away their civil liberties when Chen Yunlin last came)
- The Minister of Interior admits 'we were brutal last time' (No police brutality this time, Jiang says - Taipei Times).
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) vowed yesterday to maintain safety during next week’s cross-strait talks in Taichung, saying police brutality should not happen this time around. (So by implication it did happen last time. Also, when he uses the word 'should' is that a speculative or notice of a command given to police forces)
Talking to reporters at the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee yesterday morning, Jiang said the Taichung City Government and Taichung City Police Bureau would take care of security for the meeting between Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).
The central government will do its best to support them, Jiang said.
Normally about 200 police would be deployed, Jiang said. The number would be boosted to 1,000 for Chen’s trips outside the city, he said, adding that it would increase in accordance with the scale of protests if the situation escalates.
“We will do our best to prevent any bloody conflict,” he said. “Such regretful incidents as police attacks on civilians or reporters should not happen again.” (Another, this time clearer, admission that the Police acted brutally last time so the question remains, Why were the senior police officers not censured by the Government but promoted?)
National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞) said he did not know whether Beijing would send a security detail to protect Chinese media covering the meeting. No matter who they send, security operations would be handled by Taiwanese authorities, he said.
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) said a Chinese security detail could come here as “professionals,” but they could not perform security duties. (I wouldn't bet on them caring too much about Taiwan's regulations should they even sniff a whiff of a threat to Chen)
- Some 'realisitic' thinking (PRC to press for concessions: report - Taipei Times)
A new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington says that it is “inevitable” that sooner rather than later China will press for concessions from Taiwan on the political front.
It adds: “They will want to get a return on the concessions the PRC [People’s Republic of China] has made on the economic and diplomatic fronts. After all, Beijing’s ultimate goal is reunification, not the status quo.”
The report says that the longer the status quo is maintained, the more it reinforces Taiwan’s de facto independence and the right of the people of Taiwan to decide their political future.
“This is certainly not something most on the mainland are prepared to accept at this time,” the report says.
It adds that the pressure to move toward political talks — which will be equated to unification talks, since the PRC will insist on the “one China” premise — will build up soon.
Although Beijing may not yet be willing to publicly acknowledge it, the report says, the “simple fact” is that virtually no one in Taiwan today seeks unification with China.
It says: “No one looks forward to living under PRC rule, whether direct or indirect. It is doubtful that the PRC can offer enough economic incentives to change these sentiments under present circumstances, even among those supporting current cross-strait policies, much less among those opposed to them. And given the nature of Taiwan’s political balance at this time, the [Chinese Nationalist Party] KMT will find it very difficult to start political talks without risking its hold on power.”
“Hence, as some on the mainland correctly fear, the current strategy is not likely to move Taiwan much closer to reunification,” it said.
At some point, the report says, Beijing may perceive its military advantage to be so overwhelming that it cannot conceive of the US actually being willing to intervene militarily to prevent unification.
This will be the point when China “is likely to begin applying pressure on Taiwan to start political talks.”
“Beijing and Taiwan will both be watching closely for signs of whether the US commitment has weakened or not. They will be looking at actions, not words.” (For example a heavily neutered and long stalled arms purchase from the US that no longer contains much to aid Taiwan's defense including NO F16s)
- Painting a protest as a mob or how to incite fear and turn public opinion (Jason Hu vows to protect protesters - Taipei Times)
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) Hu described the upcoming protests as “typhoons,” while promising not to treat the protesters as a “mob.”
“It’d be best if typhoons never hit, but we should be prepared for the worst situation. However, we will not treat the protesters as a mob,” Hu said (But he essentially just did, just in a clever way)
In a meeting yesterday afternoon between Hu and DPP Secretary-General Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全), the two agreed to work together to keep today’s demonstration peaceful.
Su visited Hu on behalf of Tsai because she was apparently upset after Hu made a remark on Friday asking demonstrators not to “vandalize stores” during their march. (If the public didn't have a mental image of DPP protests being violent and mindless then he sure is trying hard to help them develop one with comments like these)
“I’ve come to express our hope that the right of the public to freely express their opinion will be fully respected while the meeting between Chiang and Chen takes place,” Su told Hu, adding that the DPP hopes police will show some restraint and follow proper procedure when enforcing the law.
Su said that crowds mobilized by the DPP never vandalized stores.
“Such incidents were done by unknown people who had penetrated the crowd, and if it happens again, we hope that the police and other security personnel will deal with people who commit such offenses according to the law,” Su said.
“It’s the Chinese Nationalist Party’s [KMT] mentality that those who take part in a demonstration in which physical clashes occur are rioters, and rioters should not go on the streets — this is just wrong logic,” DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said. “Violence does happen in rallies from time to time, but random and isolated incidents of violence should never be used as a reason to restrict people’s freedom of expression.”
- Taipei Mayor, Capitulationist par excellence (Hau refers to Taiwan as a ‘region’ - Taipei Times)
Hau’s comments came yesterday as he attended a ceremony at Dadaocheng commemorating late Taiwanese lyricist Lee Lin-chiu (李臨秋) that was organized by the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
“I am glad to attend the launch ceremony of the statue for Mr Lee Lin-chiu, the pioneer lyricist in the region of Taiwan,” Hau said. (One wonders which audience Hau intended that downplaying of sovereignty and national identity for.)
Hau’s remarks sparked immediate protests from members of the Taiwan Society, who condemned the mayor for belittling Taiwan’s status.
“Taiwan is a nation, not a region! You have hurt our feelings by calling Taiwan a region,” Taiwan Society director Janice Chen (陳昭姿) and several members shouted at Hau as he left the ceremony. (Notice how Janet DID NOT say 'You have hurt the feelings of 23 million Taiwanese'? Now, which country is it that uses such a construction for protest to almost any country on almost any issue?)
Hau said he heard the protesters’ voices, but declined to make any further comment as he left the scene. (He can hear but he will never listen?)
- More politics of smear (Talk of the Day - News digest of local media - Street protest - Taiwan News). Lots to comment on but here are key points of interest:
Liberty Times: (focus = accountability of agreements and Ma's China policies) Chen Yunlin, president of the Beijing-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits is scheduled to arrive in Taichung Monday for a second visit.
Like the nine agreements that President Ma Ying-jeou's administration has signed with China in the past 18 months without popular consent, the soon-to-be-signed four agreements have also not been approved or screened by the Legislature.
With that in mind, the DPP and other civic groups are organizing street marches in Taichung to voice their opposition to the Ma administration's China-leaning policy. DPP officials said all those who are concerned about Taiwan's political future, economic well-being and their own job prospects and welfare rights are welcome to join the protests.
China Times: (focus = DPP's precarious decision to protest that could hurt the DPP at elections) As in the past, the DPP is welcoming the latest round of Chiang-Chen talks with a mass movement.
DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen is clearly aware that if the street protests get out of hand, the party will have to pay the price in the upcoming legislative by-elections and even in elections for mayors of five municipalities to be held late next year.
Sunday's street rally will just be a prelude. The real test to Tsai's leadership will come in the next five days with the presence of China's top envoy in Taiwan. Her political career will see a breakthrough only if the DPP can cut a balance between making its political stance heard and applying heat on Taiwanese and Chinese authorities with a mass movement.
United Daily News: (focus = security in Taichung and wishing for less democratic expression as a sign of the strengthening of democracy) Hu said he is confident of the DPP's sincerity to avoid violence in street rallies. Describing the planned protests as "typhoons, " Hu said it would be best if typhoons never hit. "Our democracy will take a stride forward if 'typhoons' become 'breezes,'" he added.
- Small steps forward (Defendant may refuse night interrogation - Taiwan News).
A recently promulgated amendment to the Criminal Procedure Law, to take effect Jan. 1, will better protect the human rights of defendants or arrested suspects because it empowers them to refuse to attend detention hearings after 11 p.m.
The amendment to Article 93 of the Criminal Procedure Law stipulates that when the court begins deliberations late at night on a request to detain a suspect or defendant that is filed after 11 p.m., a party, lawyer or representative may ask the court to postpone the hearing until the next morning.
The court cannot deny the defendant's request without proper reasons and should provide the defendant a proper place to rest, it adds.
According to existing regulations, defendants must be interrogated immediately whenever the court decides to proceed with a detention request.
"Although most defendants will choose to get the interrogation over with as soon as possible, and the trial waiting rooms might not be used as often, we still have to ask all the courts to have such rooms based the need to protect human rights," said Hsieh Wen-ting, secretary-general of the Judicial Yuan.
