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FEBRUARY 2014
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DEMOCRACY & PROGRESSRemembering 228: DPP chair says together
we must secure our hard-won democracy, freedom
This year marks the 67 anniversary of the 228 Massacre
DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang was invited to speak at a rally
commemorating the anniversary of the 228 Massacre along with 28
members of the victims families.
The event was organized by the Taiwan Nation Alliance led by Mr.
Yao Chia-wen, former DPP
chair and jailed activist. The commemoration started with a
march beginning from the site of the massacre in 1947, the Tianma
Teahouse.
Chair Su said he wished to remind the Taiwan-ese people to
cherish the hard-won achieve-ments in democracy and freedom through
the sacrifices made by our Taiwanese ancestors.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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In order to consolidate its power, the foreign forces of the KMT
used the 228 Massacre to sup-press the Taiwanese people, Chair Su
remarked. Many of the countrys elite at that time their voices were
drowned. After 38 years of Martial Law, the Taiwanese people
finally ended their silence and pursued our current democracy and
freedom. After the first transfer of power, the DPP administration
created the 228 Truth Com-mission, but there is still a long road
we must walk to find out the whole truth.
Chair Su stressed the importance for the Taiwan-ese people to
persist in democracy and freedom in order to prevent another 228
Massacre from taking place again. Only through our persistence, he
insisted, were the sacrifices made by our an-cestors worthwhile for
the next generation to cherish.
On February 25, former chief editor of the Hong Kong publication
Ming Pao Daily, Kevin Lau Chun-to, was attacked by unknown
assailants and left critically injured.
Mr. Honigmann Hong, director of the DPPs Department for China
Affairs, commented in a press conference that the DPP is highly
con-cerned about the declining environment in the rule of law and
in the suppression of press free-dom, for which the media in Hong
Kong has accused is Beijings doing.
Mr. Hong said that since June of last year, Hong Kong media
professionals have suffered a series of attacks and none of these
cases have been re-solved by the police.
This means that these violent attacks are not single
occurrences, said Mr. Hong. He thinks that CCP are not using
national capital and vio-lent methods to raise the chilling effect
of re-straining press freedom in Hong Kong.
As there is the Tenth High-Level Meeting cur-rently been held in
Taipei, and there will be a visit by Chen Deming, president of the
Associa-tion for Relations across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS) with
Wang Yu-chi, minister of the
Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), there is an opportunity to
express to China that the Taiwan-ese people are concerned over the
issue of tight-ening freedom of the press in Hong Kong. This would
show China, said Mr. Hong, Taiwan cares about democracy and human
rights.
Mr. Hong elaborated on the attacks to Hong Kong media
professionals since June of last year, for which up to now have not
been solved by the HK police. These incidents are: iSun Af-fairs
publisher Chen Ping beaten by baton-wielding individuals; the
assassination attempt on Apple Daily boss Jimmy Lai with a machete
found at the front door of his house; owner of CLT Newspaper &
Magazine Distribution Lim-ited Sum Tak Keung attacked and left
critically injured; and lastly am730 owner Shih Wing-chings car
hammered by two assailants.
Additionally, Mr. Hong said that in the past year, other
incidents have also raised causes for alarm. These were: HKTV
unable to obtain a free license to operate; the sudden replacement
of Ming Pao Daily chief editor Kevin Lau; the firing of Hong Kong
radio host Li Wei-ling from Commercial Radio Hong Kong; and the
many Hong Kong publications with media advertise-ments suddenly
pulled.
DPP expresses concern over threats to rule of law, freedom of
speech in Hong Kong
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FEBRUARY 2014
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DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang announced the DPPs four principles
concerning the legislative review of the Cross Strait Services
Trade Agreement signed in June of last year in Shanghai. DPP
legislators exchanged views with Chair Su after hearing an update
concerning the agreement by Mr. Honig-mann Hong, director of the
DPPs Department for China Affairs.
DPP Spokesperson Mr. Lin Chun-hsian, on behalf of Chair Su, said
that the DPP is not against trade, and it hopes that Taiwan can
sign different types of trade agreements with other countries in
order to strengthen its own economy and to enhance the quality of
life for the Taiwanese people. However, Chair Su says that we must
recognize that between Taiwan and China, there are differences in
eco-nomic and political systems, where Taiwan is a democracy and a
free country while Chinas econ-omy is mostly state-run.
Additionally, it is neces-sary to consider that when both countries
entered WTO, Taiwan already opened-up 58% of its mar-ket while
China has only opened 37%.
As a result of these differences, Chair Su said that four
principles must be established when examin-ing the Cross Strait
Services Trade Agreement, which are: (1) equal opening, (2) fair
competition, (3) safeguard peoples livelihoods, and (4) ensure
national security.
Spokesperson Lin explained that equal opening calls for the same
proportion of markets that are being opened, including cross-border
services and the adjustment to the ratio of commercial presence.
Additionally, the agreement should not be limited to some provinces
in China, like Fujian and Guangdong provinces, but rather, it
should encom-pass the entire China.
To ensure fair competition, Spokesperson Lin said that in light
of the differences between politi-cal and economic systems of both
countries, the markets that are being opened should have the
necessary conditions that allows for fair competi-tion between
them.
In June of last year, when the trade agreement was signed,
Taiwanese academics with expertise on trade and several civic
groups raised many sub-stantial standpoints. These included a call
for regu-latory measures for the supervision of trade pacts between
Taiwan and China and implementing regulations concerning Chinese
investments into Taiwan. After holding several technical meetings,
the DPP Legislative Caucus issued two bills, the Bill on Pacts
between Taiwan and China and the Bill on Relations between peoples
from the Cross Straits. These bills, however, although having
en-tered into the Procedure Committee, did not reach
deliberation.
Also last year in June, the KMT and the DPP nego-tiated at the
Legislative Yuan to review each item of the trade agreement,
consenting to deliberate on each item being examined. Chair Su
appealed for the KMT Legislative Caucus to abide by this
nego-tiation result.
I call on the KMT to absolutely not forgo the will of public
opinion in order to cave-in to the will of President Ma Ying-jeou,
Chair Su said.
He said that the DPP will without fail represent the interests
of the Taiwanese people at the legislature, and he lastly sent a
warning to the KMT not to misjudge the situation and act in a rash
manner.
In late February, Premier Jiang Yi-hua said that according to an
Executive Yuan survey, over 60% of the population said they wished
to see the Cross Strait Services Trade Agreement pass. However, in
a DPP poll released on February 25, when asked whether the public
hoped to see the Cross Strait Services Trade Agreement passed or
re-negotiated, 70.5% of the public answered that they hoped to
re-negotiate the trade agreement. Only 17.5% of the respondents
answered that they hoped to see the agreement pass completely.
DPP issues four principles for LY review of Cross Strait
Services Agreement
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FEBRUARY 2014
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On February 27, the DPP held a press conference releasing its
newest publication The New Diplo-matic Strategy, which summarizes
the past two years of the DPPs achievements in foreign rela-tions.
Mr. Liu Shih-chung, director of the DPPs Depart-ment of
International Affairs, said that this publica-tion highlights the
DPPs foreign policy, which as Chair Su has pinpointed, is to open
up interna-tionally, show care to the world and to promote
democracy and peace. In the publication, it is told that the DPP
exerted a large amount of effort into fundraising to re-open the
DPP representative office in Washington, D.C., which was closed
twelve years ago when the DPP won the administration in 2000.
Without the con-tributions from Taiwanese residents in the U.S. and
in Canada, this office would not have been opened,
and as a tribute to them, the publication largely dedicates the
DPP's achievements to their support. In order to re-strengthen the
DPPs relations with the U.S., Chair Su raised the 3Rs of foreign
policy for the DPP, which were responsibility, recon-ciliation and
re-balance. In his speech at the Brookings Institution in June of
last year, Chair Su explained that responsibility is to pave the
way for a DPP comeback to government, also calling for
reconciliation in the normalization of cross strait relations and a
re-balance of US-Taiwan relations. Confronting the new
transformations in Asias re-gional security, the DPP has especially
strength-ened its partnership relations with neighboring countries
in order to prevent further changes to the status quo of peace and
stability in the region. Fur-thermore, in regards to Chinas
Regional Compre-hensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) to counter
DPPs achievement in foreign relations highlighted in new
publication
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...DPPs achievement in foreign relationsthe U.S. promotion of
the Trans-Pacific Partner-ship (TPP), the DPP also hopes for Taiwan
to ex-pand more economic and trade relations with Southeast Asia.
On the environmental front, the DPP has also fo-cused on building
foreign relations based on the DPPs goal to promote a nuclear-free
homeland. Through exchanges with NGOs from European countries like
Denmark, Germany and U.K., the DPP has obtained great assistance in
formulating policy regarding the promotion of alternative sources
of energy to replace nuclear power, said Mr. Liu. In political
party-to-party relations, the DPP as founding member of the Council
of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and as member of Liberal
International (LI) has promoted democracy devel-opment through
these platforms and at the same time let the world understand
Taiwans democratic and free system. In 2012 and 2013, LI passed
reso-lutions appealing for the governing administration in Taiwan
to grant Former President Chen Shui-bian a medical parole and to
respect judicial inde-pendence. This kind of international pressure
on the current administration ensured the passage to amendments in
Taiwans legislature concerning communications security and
surveillance law, Mr. Liu said. Mr. Joseph Wu, representative to
the U.S. and ex-ecutive director of the DPPs Policy Research
Committee, said that under the leadership of Chair Su, the DPPs
office in Washington D.C. was re-opened after it was shut down 12
years ago, im-proving smoothly the DPPs relationship with the U.S.
through exchanges with the U.S. Congress and with a variety of
think tanks.
Mr. Wu also reported that U.S. House Committee on Foreign
Affairs Chairman Ed Royce gave strong encouragements to the DPPs
work when he visited Taiwan last week. Also present at the press
conference were Legisla-tor Hsiao Bi-khim and Legislator Chiu
Yi-ying, who gave their appraisal of the milestones achieved by the
DPP in diplomatic relations. Both having taken part in the
Legislative Yuans Com-mittee on Foreign Affairs have ensured that
the DPPs standpoints are enacted through legislation in Taiwans
foreign policy. Ms. Maysing Yang who served as director of the DPPs
Department of International Affairs during the early stages of the
DPP as a party, told the story of the achievements made by the DPP
through the small amount of contributions by its supporters. These
results must be attributed to them, she stressed. Chair Su made
concluding remarks, emphasizing that Taiwan is a sovereign and
independent country because if it conducts foreign relations, it is
a country and because as a country, it has to engage in foreign
relations. Chair Su added, Even though the DPP has faced tough
challenges in foreign relations and despite our limited resources,
we will continue working hard to achieve our goals.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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Taiwan must "promptly adjust its national defense strategy,
military strategy, and operational con-cepts" to meet growing
Chinese military threats and "establish Taiwan's self-defense
capability" the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)'s Chair Su
Tseng-chang declared, and made these recommen-dations:
1. Implement concrete and comprehensive meas-ures to strengthen
cyber defense capabilities;
2. Accelerating the indigenous production of sub-marines;
and
3. Transforming Taiwan's air capabilities to include indigenous
production of advanced long-range unmanned combat air vehicles
(UCAV) and re-search regarding production of next-generation
fighter jets.
The DPP's Fifth Defense Policy Blue paper (Eng-lish translation
begins at page 37), "China's Mili-tary Threats against Taiwan in
2025," details the pace and scope of China's military buildup in
cyber warfare capability, growth of the precision and
di-versification of missiles and fifth generation fight-ers, plus
the PLA Navy's transformation.
Protecting Taiwan's highly informationalized soci-ety is a top
priority and demands attracting more information warfare personnel,
developing asym-metrical cyber operational concepts and equip-ment,
and strengthening cyber defense frontlines.
To defend Taiwan's maritime security, indigenous production of
submarines should be initiated im-mediately and more proactively,
in conjunction with the continued production of swift, stealth
mis-sile boats.
The high density and precision strikes of the PLA's missiles,
fighters and bombers must be met by con-tinued upgrading of the IDF
and F16 fleets, pro-curement, if possible, of advanced fighters
from foreign sources, indigenous production of ad-vanced long-range
unmanned combat vehicles (UCAVs) and research into the indigenous
produc-tion of next generation fighter jets with refined long-range
precision strike munitions.
Reiterating the DPP's call that Taiwan's national defense budget
"should return to the level of 3% of GDP," Chair Su declared, "Only
by audaciously shouldering the responsibility and bearing the
bur-den of national defense can all of us and our future
generations continue to enjoy the fruits of freedom and
democracy."
The DPP Defense Policy Advisory Committee has launched a series
of defense policy blue papers since June 2013. There were many
Taiwanese and American experts, as well as several retired
gener-als and admirals, who offered their valuable advice and
insight during the process. The DPP is a re-sponsible political
party which values Taiwans national security and will continue
publishing the Defense Policy Blue Papers on the issues such as
force planning, budget, and serviceman throughout this and next
year.
DPP: audaciously shouldering Taiwans national defense
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FEBRUARY 2014
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Following the conclusion of the meetings be-tween Wang Yu-chi,
minister of Taiwans Main-land Affairs Council (MAC) and Zhang
Zhijun, minister of Chinas Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), held in
China last week, the opposition Demo-cratic Progressive Party
(DPP)s executive direc-tor for policy research, Dr. Joseph Wu, and
Hung Tsai-lung, director of DPPs China Affairs De-partment, called
a press conference to issue the DPPs five recommendations and three
questions concerning the Wang-Zhang meeting:
First, the DPP supports the normalization of cross-Strait
relations and regularized contact be-tween the two governments as a
laudable goal, and welcomes exchanges between high-level of-ficials
without preconditions. However, we must also carefully consider
what we are willing to give up in pursuit of this end. A well-known
U.S. expert candidly said last month that the question of
high-level cross-Strait exchanges is not one of feasibility, but
rather, of the price that would be exacted. Former KMT chairman Wu
Po-hsiung alluded to the concept of the one China frame-work when
he visited China last June; President Mas letter to Xi Jinping in
July also referenced their mutual insistence on the 1992 consensus
under the one China principle. Is this a price that we are willing
to pay? Such an important matter implicating Taiwans basic status
is one that should be jointly decided by the people, not by Ma
Ying-jeou alone. Furthermore, Minister Wang again asserted in
Shanghai on Thursday that cross-Strait relations are not
state-to-state relations. To make this type of statement, fully
aware that it touches on the domestically sensi-tive
independence-unification nerve, and in the absence of any attempt
at dialogue on the issue within Taiwan, is certain to lead to
further con-tention back home. Taiwan should not have to pay the
resulting price.
Second, there is great discrepancy in the content of the press
statements issued by the two sides after the first Wang-Zhang
meeting on February 11. The summary text published by the Chinese
authorities describes a five-point consensus that was reached, but
when compared with the MAC press release, it seems that the each
side is merely telling their own version of the story. The only
point on which there is clear agreement is in the reference to the
1992 consensus. The unilat-eral declaration of a supposed consensus
or issuance of a joint statement is maneuver that the Chinese have
commonly employed in cross-Strait exchanges over the past few
years, thereby trapping Taiwan into the narrative that it defines;
this is what happened just recently after the cross-strait media
forum in December. For it to recur on this occasion, without
eliciting any kind of response from MAC, leads one to question:
have we completely acquiesced to Chinas one-sided consensus?
Third, what the Chinese wants at this time is to enter into
political negotiations with Taiwan. Since the SEF-ARATS channel
will continue op-erating as a forum to address issues of a more
pragmatic nature, it appears that the MAC-TAO platform has been
created with the intention of elevating the political level of
exchanges. With these politically-oriented talks now in the deep
water zone, every step and every word emitted by each side must be
done with great delibera-tion, to in effort to secure the maximum
amount of gain. Yet it seems that the Ma administration is only
concerned with the appearances projected by the Wang-Zhang meeting,
leaving all of the substance to be orchestrated by the Chinese. No
normal government of a normal country would conceded this much. If
in the future China insists on holding Taiwan to the commitments
made in the February 11th Cross-Strait Consensus, the
Five recommendations, three suggestions for Wang-Zhang
Meetings
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FEBRUARY 2014
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...Wang-Zhang MeetingsMa government may be unable to withstand
the pressure.
Fourth, before going to China Minister Wang had stated that one
of his objectives was to seek par-ticipation in the regional
economic integration process, and this goal was also written into
the MAC press release. But the first point of con-sensus that
appears in the TAOs statement is-sued following the Wang-Zhang
meeting is fo-cusing on completion of follow-on agreements under
the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), refining
channels of cross-strait economic cooperation, and seriously
ex-ploring the feasibility of joint economic devel-opment toward
appropriate modes of participa-tion in the regional economic
integration proc-ess. If the MAC has not put forth any objection to
this consensus, then it appears that Taiwans accession to RCEP and
TPP has already been subsumed within the ECFA framework. This is a
complete loss for Taiwan not only in substance but also in
symbolism.
Fifth, prior to Minister Wangs departure, the DPP had repeatedly
called on the administration to raise the issues in cross-Strait
negotiations that remain unresolved, including compensation for
Taiwanese businesses from previous lapses in food safety,
repatriation of financial criminals, re-negotiation of unequal
provisions in the serv-ices trade pact, and freedom of the press
and hu-man rights questions. These are the subjects of greatest
concern to the people of Taiwan, but MAC did not broach them at
all. We are deeply disappointed that government did not take our
cue in this regard.
Dr. Wu went on to pose three questions to minis-ter Wang:
1. The statement released by MAC immediately after the meeting
was vague and ambiguous, while the title of the TAO press release
trumpets the proactive consensus reached. Did the two sides reach
any kind of consensus or not? Or has Taiwan been trapped into a
consensus?
2. With regard to the potential meeting between President Ma and
President Xi Jing-ping, Presi-dent Ma has reiterated the need to
create the right conditions. What kind of condition is he
refer-ring to, and what is the price that the Ma admini-stration is
willing to pay? Has Taiwan not paid a high enough price
already?
3. Exactly what priority has the administration accorded to the
issues of greatest importance to the people of Taiwan?
Additionally, China affairs department director Hung Tsai-lung
elaborated on the monitoring and oversight mechanisms for
cross-Strait negotia-tions and agreements. Hung requests that
Minis-ter Wang provide a special report to the Legisla-tive Yuan
and take questions from legislators af-ter his return to Taiwan.
All cross-Strait nego-tiations and agreements should be subject to
comprehensive oversight by the legislature. Fur-ther, we should
establish a formal process to grant authority to conduct
cross-Strait talks to institutionalize the mechanism for
legislative oversight of cross-Strait negotiations.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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At the DPP Headquarters on Feb. 20, DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang met
with an U.S. Congressional Delegation led by Representative Edward
R. Royce, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. Also
part of the delegation were Representative Steve Chabot (R-OH);
Represen-tative Brad Sherman (D-CA); Representative Joe Wilson
(R-SC); Representative Randy Weber (R-TX); Representative Luke
Messer (R-IN); Repre-sentative Madeleine Bordallo (D-Guam) and
Representative Joseph P. Kennedy, III (D-MA).
In his remarks, Chair Su first expressed his deep-est
appreciation to the U.S. Congress for their long-term support of
Taiwan while also reaffirm-ing the DPPs commitment to strengthen
Taiwan-U.S. relations.
Chair Su especially commended Rep. Royce for supporting Taiwans
bid to join the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
last year, saying that he wanted to thank him in person, and that
Taiwan was better off with good friends like you.
Chair Su emphasized that the DPP will continue upholding its
support of Taiwans national de-fense and protecting Taiwans
achievements in democracy, peace and human rights.
I would like to emphasize the DPPs determina-tion to strengthen
Taiwans defense and to con-solidate Taiwans democracy. I look
forward to our further cooperation to bring closer relations
between our two countries, to further highlight our value on
democracy and human rights and to have Taiwan serve as a beacon
light of hope in the entire East Asia.
Rep. Royce started his remarks wishing everyone a happy New Year
in Mandarin, noting that this was the strongest bi-partisan
delegation that has ever visited Taiwan.
Regarding Taiwan obtaining U.S. visa-free status, he expressed
that he was very happy to see that this years New Year flights to
the U.S. increased by 30% as a result. Because of the frequency in
flights between Taiwan and the U.S., it was of vital importance
that Taiwan was able to enter
DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang meets with U.S. congressional
delegation visiting Taiwan
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FEBRUARY 2014
PAGE 10
...U.S. congressional delegation visiting TaiwanICAO so that
those traveling to Taiwan would have the same right to
participation, he said.
Rep. Royce emphasized that he and members of the Taiwan Caucus
would like to push for Taiwan to gain greater international space
and part of that is for Taiwan to have access to the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP).
We want to build on this idea of giving Tai-wan international
space and part of that is, I believe, access to the TPP because
across the Pacific Rim, we are going to have more trade, more
investment activities that is going to generate growth.
Furthermore, Rep. Royce reported that along with Rep. Sherman,
they would be introduc-ing legislation to reaffirm the Taiwan
Rela-tions Act (TRA) with its upcoming 35th Anni-versary on April
10.
Rep. Royce concluded his remarks by ex-pressing appreciation to
see Chair Su at the DPP Headquarters, and promising to make certain
that they will deepen and strengthen the relationship between
Taiwan and the U.S. in Congress.
The meeting took place over thirty minutes and present at the
meeting alongside Chair Su were Representative to the U.S. Dr.
Joseph Wu and Mr. Liu Shih-chung, Director of the DPPs Department
of International Affairs. Accom-panying the delegation was American
Institute in Taipei (AIT) Director Christopher J. Marut,
congressional staff and spouses of the con-gressmen.
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FEBRUARY 2014
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DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS
PUBLISHED BY:
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Party
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Email: [email protected]
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