DPP Newsletter Nov2012

7/30/2019 DPP Newsletter Nov2012

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NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 1

DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

DPP passes guidelines to establish ChinaAfairs Committee

The DPP passed the Guidelines

for Establishing the DPP China

Affairs Committee at the Central

Standing Committee on No-

vember 21, 2012.

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang

said that the DPP has the re-

sponsibility and commitment to

make its China policy to ad-

vance Taiwans interest and to

strengthen Taiwans democracy.

To this end, the DPP establishes

a China Affairs Committee.

Chair Su also said that Tai-

wan faces a powerful China

with opportunities and risks, and

that Taiwan must have a China

policy with strategic depth. Its

China policy also needs to be

firmly based on a Taiwan con-

sensus.

He explained that the Tai-

wan consensus is already estab-

lished and deeply rooted in Tai-

wan. It is the common identifi-

cation of values accumulated

through time and effort. When

he first presented the concept of

Taiwan consensus in 2011, he

indicated that Taiwans survival

is paramount and Taiwans de-

mocracy is our cornerstone, and

also said that Taiwan must sus-

tain its development while the

future of Taiwan should be de-

cided by the 23 million Taiwan-

ese people.

He indicated that the Taiwan

consensus can be exemplified by

the DPPs 1999 Resolution Re-

garding Taiwans Future, which

declared Taiwan status as al-

ready sovereign and independ-

ent, with a national title the Re-

public of China according to its

current Constitution, has no mu-tual jurisdiction with the Peo-

ples Republic of China, and any

change of the status quo must be

approved by the people through

a referendum. Chair Su said that

this resolution has been a firm

position of the DPP, and one

decade after the adoption of the

resolution, this position has be-

come mainstream in Taiwan.

Chair Su also said that Tai-

wan is now facing new chal-

lenges with a changing China. In

the past, China was just an en-

tity on the other side of the Tai-

wan Strait with a rigid policy,

but now China has entrenched

into Taiwan society with sub-

tlety. Facing the new circum-

stances, Taiwan must work

closer with each other to adopt

policies that are more flexible.

Chair Su further elaboratedthat in creating this committee,

he has worked hard to consult

with opinion leaders extensively.

Even though they might differ in

their views, all agreed that the

starting point must be the same,

which is to serve the best inter-

ests of Taiwan.

Chair Su gave his special ap-preciation to Mr. Frank Hsieh,

former chairman of the DPP and

former premier of Taiwan, for

his deep insights on China.

Chair Su said that even though

he originally intended to appoint

Mr. Hsieh as committee chair-

man, he gave it much thinking

and decided that it was a respon-

sibility that he must shoulderhimself, which is a viewpoint

that Mr. Hsieh shared. He con-

tinued by saying that since he

announced the idea of establish-

ing the committee, Mr. Hsieh

had demonstrated to him with

much wisdom in finding a solu-

tion for Taiwan, which he was

grateful for.


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NOVEMBER 2012

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Chair Su appealed to the party

and the Taiwan public to sit

down and discuss pressing

China policies so that the coun-

try can unite for a better future

of Taiwan.

The contents of the guide-

lines are highlighted below:

Article 1

In order to set the policy direc-

tion for Taiwan in regards to

China and cross strait ex-

changes, to protect Taiwans

sovereignty, to ensure peace in

the Taiwan Strait and to ensure

the development of cross strait

relations with equality and reci-

procity, the DPP hereby estab-

lishes the China Affairs Com-

mittee (hereinafter referred to

as the Committee) and adoptsthe guidelines for its establish-

ment.

Article 2

Objectives of the Committee

shall include:

- To study the politics, economy

and society of China;

- To research and analyze the

future of cross strait relations;

- To research and analyze cross

strait policies;

- To study the policy and prin-

ciples for exchanges between

the party and China; and

- To study issues related to

cross strait and regional situa-

tions.

Article 3

The Department of China Af-

fairs shall take the staff respon-

sibility for the Committee.

Article 4

The Committee shall consist of

7 to 9 members, including the

Chair of the Party who shall

serve as the convener. Other

committee members shall be

nominated by the Chairman to

be approved by the Central

Standing Committee. The

members have the same term

period as the Chair.

Article 5

The Chair may appoint advisors

to the Committee; who have the

same term period as the Chair.

Article 6

The Committee shall meet once

every two months; provisionalmeetings shall be called upon

necessity. The committee meet-

ings shall be chaired by the

convener, and in the case of his

absence, the convener may ap-

point another committee mem-

ber to serve as acting convener.

Article 7

Decisions of the Committee

shall be submitted to the Cen-

tral Standing Committee for

further deliberation or actions.

Article 8

The guidelines shall take effect

on the date of adoption.


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DPP announces appointment of JosephWu as DPP representative to the U.S.

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang announced in

a press conference on Nov. 12 that he has

appointed current executive director of

the DPPs Policy Research Committee,

Mr. Joseph Wu, as the DPP representa-

tive to the U.S.

Joseph Wu has a strong affinity in

US and DPP policy, and with closer in-teraction with him, I dont need to con-

sider another candidate, Chair Su said.

I strongly believe that he will clearly

express the DPPs standpoints and that he

will make sure that messages from the

U.S. are carried back. I have high hopes that

Taiwan-U.S. relations will become even better and

progress even further under Josephs presence.

Chair Su said that in order to establish mutualtrust and show the DPPs goodwill intentions, the

DPP has already notified the U.S. side about the

appointment. He said that in the upcoming period,

he will ask Mr. Wu to go to the U.S. and start the

preparations for the work ahead.

Even though the DPP has limited resources, we

must exert even greater efforts, he said.

He also mentioned that he has high hopes thatexternal parties will give the DPP support and

greater encouragement.

In Chair Sus remarks to the press, he said that

the region surrounding Taiwan has gone through

many changes, and how to strengthen Taiwan-U.S.

relations has been an important part of his role as

chair. During this time, he has invited many schol-

ars, experts and former DPP officials to hold dis-

cussions and make the necessary preparation totackle these issues.

During the US presidential election campaign,

the DPP sent a delegation comprised of DPP legis-

lators and party staff to observe both the Demo-

cratic and Republican conventions. The DPP alsosent another election observation group to watch

the events surrounding the presidential election

right on the week that voting took place.

Chair Su praised Mr. Wu for his past outstanding

service as representative to the U.S. during the DPP

administration. Also recently, Mr. Wu has been en-

gaged in discussions with many officials, scholars

and think tank experts regarding U.S.-Taiwan rela-

tions, traveling frequently to the U.S. and becomingfamiliar with both international and domestic poli-

tics as executive director of the Policy Research

Committee.

Mr. Wu said in his remarks that he gladly ac-

cepts the position, willing to work hard and give it

his all despite clear results not being immediately

conspicuous. He explained that the role of the

DPPs representative to the U.S. is to engage with

US officials, think tank experts, academics, mediaand members of the Taiwan overseas community.


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DPP calls President Mas administrationto take immediate action against threats to

Taiwans media environmentOn Nov.16, DPP Chair Su

Tseng-chang declared the DPPs

position regarding the Next Me-

dia Group purchase at a press

conference. Forty DPP legisla-

tors also stood behind Chair Su

to urge President Ma Ying-

jeous administration to take

immediate action toward the

Next Media Group acquisition

deal, which may lead to a media

conglomeration and jeopardize

Taiwans freedom of speech.

At a meeting with the DPP

Legislative Caucus, Chair Su

also made a petition with all

DPP legislators to oppose deals

involving the Want Want China

Times and the Next Media

Group. Chair Su said that these

media mergers represented more

than just ordinary business deals

because they could cause serious

impact to our national security,

producing greater damage to

Taiwans democracy. The DPP

Legislative Caucus in turn pro-

posed amendments to the Radio

and Television Act, the Cable

Television Act and the Satellite

Broadcasting Act to prevent a

media monopoly.

The DPP also requested the

Fair Trade Commission (FTC),

the National Communications

Commission (NCC) and the Fi-

nancial Supervisory Commis-

sion (FSC) to each exercise their

responsibilities and adopt strict

guidelines to ensure that deals

such as these reflect public in-

terests.

Chair Su also called on

President Ma to express his po-

sition before further damages to

Taiwans media environment are

caused, and he also urged Presi-

dent Mas administration to take

immediate action to prevent the

worsening of this condition. He

said that the media industry will

be largely impacted and peo-

ples right to know will vanish

if this deal is allowed.

Chair Su further mentioned

that freedom of speech in Tai-

wan has regressed since Presi-

dent Mas administration began.

With the Want Want China

Times Group merger and now

again with the acquisition of the

Next Media Group, the people

have started to worry about

press freedom in Taiwan. He

urged the Taiwanese public to

stand up and protect Taiwans

democracy and press freedom.

Democracy does not sustain

solely depending on the practice

of elections, and without free-

dom of information, if we the

people lose the right to know, all

our sacrifices towards democ-

racy will be in vain, he said.

On Nov. 19, Chair Su and

DPP Legislative Caucus Conve-

ner Ker Chien-ming, DPP Legis-

lative Caucus Secretary-General

Pan Men-an, and DPP Legisla-

tors: Tsai Chi-chang, Wu Ping-

rui, Lin Tai-hua,Wu Yi-chen,

Yao Wen-chih, Liu Chien-kuo,

Tien Chiu-chin and Lee Kun-

tse, all together issued a state-

ment over the Next Media sale.

The statement raises the

awareness among the public that

media monopoly and the influ-

ence from China will be a cata-

strophic impact to Taiwans de-

mocracy, further damaging free-

dom of speech and freedom of

information. As the DPP has

been promoting Taiwan towards

deeper democratization, the

party stands strongly in opposi-

tion towards the media deal.

The statement says:

1. We urge President Ma

Ying-jeou to comment

President Ma must express

his views regarding this con-

troversial case. From the

Want Want China Times

merger deal to the Next Me-

dia Group sale, the issue has


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NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 6

caused a great deal of con-

troversy among civic soci-

ety. There are suspicions that

China has injected control

behind the business deal.

Nevertheless, President Ma

has not responded to any

questions or made any

comments about these media

deals. We urge President Ma

to express his views and for

his administration to take a

position on the case immedi-

ately.

2. We urge all related minis-

tries to exercise their re-

sponsibilities

Government agencies, in-

cluding the Fair Trade

Commission, the Financial

Supervisory Commission(FSC), the National Com-

munications Commission

(NCC), the Ministry of Eco-

nomic Affairs, and the Min-

istry of Justice must all as-

sume their responsibilities

and look in detail the con-

tents of these media deals.

3. The DPP will unite with

civic groups and take ac-

tion

The DPP will collaborate

with civic groups about pos-

sible measures to oppose the

acquisition.

4. We urge the public to par-

ticipate

The sale of the Next Media

Group should not be consid-

ered as a simple business

transaction. It interferes intothe soundness of Taiwans

media environment and it

encroaches on the guaran-

tees for freedom of expres-

sion. Additionally, there are

suspicions of Chinese in-

volvement. The DPP urges

the public and civic groups

to safeguard Taiwans de-

mocracy joining together

and show our determination

to protect Taiwans interests.

Nov. 26 - DPPChair Su Tseng-chang makes a visitto students sitting-in to demand the

government to pre-vent media mo-nopolies and re-

spect freedom ofexpression.


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NOVEMBER 2012

PAGE 7

KMT must agree to hold national afairsconference

Seeing the failed attempts to resolve the crisis on

Taiwans social security and pension system, DPP

Former Chair Dr. Tsai Ing-wen called on President

Ma Ying-jeous administration to hold a national

affairs conference for an open and honest dialogue

with representatives from all sectors of society,

hoping to forge public consensus on the now ail-

ing pension system. DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang

applauded this call by Dr. Tsai and strongly wel-

comed her initiative.

Responding to Dr. Tsais call, the PresidentialOffice released a press statement on Nov. 12 re-

jecting the proposal, saying that instead, the issue

should be discussed in meetings between govern-

mental officials. However, the Presidential Office

Spokesperson, Mr. Fan Chiang Tai-chi, said that

President Ma would send an invitation to opposi-

tion leaders.

The DPP will continue standing firm on itsstance, reasserted DPP Spokesperson Lin Chun-

hsien. He said that the DPP will continue to de-

mand and hold a national affairs conference as

soon as possible to discuss the controversial issues

of both the failing social security and the pension

system.

Mr. Lin also added that it is time for PresidentMa to shoulder the responsibility of bringing-in

public participation to resolve the current national

crisis as social security intertwines with the core

interest and welfare of every individual, and now

it is in danger of going bankrupt, causing the pub-

lic already to panic.

At the DPP Legislative Caucus Meeting onNov. 16, Chair Su again called on the administra-

tion of President Ma to convene a national affairs

conference. Chair Su said that the labor pension

fund and other social security funds, like labor

insurance for example, have stacked up fifteen

trillion Taiwan dollars in debt. He said that this

has brought tensions within our society that might

lead to further social conflict.

This is more than a financial problem, but anational crisis indeed. Both the DPP headquarters,

our party members as well as our legislative cau-

cus are all standing firmly on this standpoint,which is to insist on convening a national affairs

conference, Chair Su said.

The DPP Legislative Caucus has already cre-ated a proposal to hold the national affairs confer-

ence at the Legislative Yuan. Meanwhile, DPP

caucus members are forming a consensus on or-

ganizing the Pension Fund Special Committee and

the Four Government Funds Review Committee

at the Legislative Yuan. Chair Su said that the ac-cumulated liability of the five pension funds in-

creased nearly two trillion during President Mas

administration, and it continues to increase.

To further gather public support, the DPP hascreated a website to engage attention on the na-

tional affairs conference, hoping to gather more

signatures and to achieve social consensus to dis-

cuss ways to solve the problem. The website can

be found at:

http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111

602154000.

1.
http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000http://campaign.tw-npo.org/sign.php?id=2012111602154000


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DPP condemns China for new passports

The DPPs Central Standing Committee of Nov.

28 issued a statement condemning China forincluding parts of Taiwan (Nantou Countys Sun

Moon Lake and Hualien Countys Chingshui

Cliffs) as Chinese territory into their new pass-

ports. The statement criticizes China for violat-

ing Taiwans sovereignty and damaging mutual

trust, and it also denounces President Ma Ying-

jeous response to China as weak.

During Chinas 18th National Party Congress,

China proclaimed that they will consistently

adopt the peaceful development approach and

that it will persist in treating its neighbors right-

eously and as partners.

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang said that the Chi-

nese new passports incident, however, displayed

that China is picking and choosing only what

benefits them from their peaceful develop-

ment foreign policy, and because now more

than ever, they wish to emphasize their sover-

eign authority over the disputed territories, they

are having more contentions with neighboring

countries, which is extremely damaging to re-

gional peace and stability.

The DPP believes that the only solution is

for China to embrace the spirit of equality, mu-

tual trust and respect for the sovereignty of

other countries, and China must assume the role

of a responsible larger power in order to really

implement their goal of peaceful development.

Chair Su further emphasized that Taiwan is a

sovereign and independent country, and it has

no mutual jurisdiction with the Peoples Repub-

lic of China. For China to issue the new Chinese

passports that include as their territory the Tai-

wan territories of Nantou and Hualien Counties

is a clear violation of Taiwans sovereignty, and

it is not helping to establishing mutual trust, he

said.

Regarding the governments responses by

Taiwan to China, Chair Su said that the DPP

strongly condemns them as very weak, and both

the passive response from the Presidential Of-

fice spokesperson and the Mainland Affairs

Council lacked counter measures against China.

The DPP, besides raising the severest of ob-

jections towards China, requests the Chinese

government to immediately correct this type of

damage to the status quo in order to avoid unfa-

vorable diplomatic circumstances. We also de-

mand President Ma to immediately hold an in-

ternational press conference and announce to

the international community the reality that the

sovereignties of Taiwan and China have no mu-

tual jurisdiction. President Ma must also direct

the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of

the Interior and the Mainland Affairs Council to

adopt the necessary counter measures to protect

Taiwans sovereignty. The DPP Legislative

Caucus will rigidly supervise on these govern-

ment entities in order to exert all its efforts into

performing the task of protecting Taiwans sov-

ereignty.


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DPP condemns Taiwans MOFA for visarejection to Dalai LAMA

On Nov. 22, Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Af-

fairs (MOFA) gave the excuse of the timing is

not right to deny a visa request by the Interna-

tional Federation of Business and Professional

Women (BPW) to invite His Holiness the Dalai

Lama to visit Taiwan.

In regards to MOFAs visa rejection, the

DPP has severely criticized MOFAs response.

Director of the DPPs Department of Interna-tional Affairs Mr. Liu Shih-chung said that

MOFA was violating the values of international

democratic societies, and he also said this move

greatly damages Taiwans international image.

When His Holiness the Dalai Lama makes

visits to foreign countries, he is usually received

by national leaders, Mr. Liu said. His spirit of

peace and human compassion has never been

unwelcome.

Mr. Liu said that in 2009, when Southern

Taiwan experienced the lashing of Typhoon

Morakot, His Holiness came to Taiwan to ex-

press his care for Taiwan. He said that it was

regrettable that President Ma Ying-jeou, who

initially rejected foreign assistance, also made a

passive reaction during His Holiness visit and

didnt make the time to meet him personally.

Mr. Liu further denounced MOFA for de-

nying BPW Internationals request to invite His

Holiness to visit Taiwan. He said that being an

international organization that was planning to

host a meeting in Taiwan, this was a great op-

portunity to promote Taiwans image, and it was

a grave error for the government to reject a visit

request for His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Mr. Liu added, His Holiness the Dalai

Lama has received wide support from demo-

cratic countries around the world mainly be-

cause he represents the spirit of peace and non-

violence in the pursuit of freedom. His Holiness

has also expressed deep appreciation for human

rights and democracy, therefore, there shouldnt

be any issues regarding timing. The DPP

strongly supports the pursuit of freedom and

human rights by the Tibetan people, and it

warmly welcomes His Holiness to visit Taiwan.We hope that President Mas administration can

immediately correct this type of behavior that

damages Taiwans international image.


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DPP extends invitation to Daw Aung SanSuu Kyi to visit Taiwan

A DPP delegation that included DPP Depart-

ment of International Affairs Director Liu Shih-chung and DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin, attended

an annual meeting of the Council of Asian Lib-

erals and Democrats (CALD) in Bangkok. The

meeting focused on Burmas democratic transi-

tion and climate change, and it was held from

Nov. 16 to 19.

In the conference, aside from sharing the

Taiwan democratization experience, Mr. Liu

expressed the utmost respect to the CALD dele-gations and support of the Nobel Peace Prize

Laureate, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on behalf of

the DPP and DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang, who

also extended an invitation for her to visit Tai-

wan.

The conference coincided with US President

Barack Obamas visit to Thailand, Burma and

Cambodia. US President Obama will pay his

first visit to Burma and Cambodia afterwards as

well as attending the East Asia Summit. This

has raised the discussion over whether US hasthe intention of enhancing US-Burma relations

in order to contain China.

Mr. Liu said that Chair Su is paying great

attention to the dynamics of US-China relations

following the US presidential election and

Chinas recent 18th National Congress, which

will have strong impact on Taiwans security

strategy in the Asia-Pacific region.

CALD is an international organization

formed by democratic political parties from

Asian countries. The DPP is a founding member

of CALD.

A DPP delegationattended the Coun-cil of Asian Liber-als and Democratsin Bangkok focus-ing on Burmasdemocratic transi-tion and climatechange from Nov.16 to 19.


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PAGE 11

DPP hopes to continue strengtheningTaiwan-U.S. relations after US presiden-

tial election

As the world watches the 2012 US Presiden-

tial Election, the DPP also paid attention to

this event by organizing a series of local fo-

rums and visits to the U.S.

DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang said at a fo-

rum that he hoped to continue strengthening

Taiwan-U.S. relations in order to exert hisgreatest efforts to promote peace in the Asia

Pacific region.

On Nov. 6, the DPP organized a session

regarding the 2012 US Presidential Election

as part of the Open Studio Conference Series

to discuss the latest developments regarding

the election and the possible impact on the

future of Taiwan-US relations, including the

challenges to the Asia Pacific region as well

as influences to the current international dip-

lomatic situation.

Ms. Joanne Chang Jaw-ling, professor at

Academia Sinica, Mr. Joseph Wu, executive

director of the DPP's Policy Research Com-

mittee and Mr. Liu Shih-chung were the dis-

cussants at the forum.

Chair Su said at the Open Studio forum

that the DPP and the U.S. have actively en-

gaged in exchanges, and in the future, he

hoped to continue strengthening Taiwan-U.S.

relations. He said that the US presidential election

to be carried out this year is an event that attracts

worldwide attention, and he sends his best wishes

for a successful election.

A week prior to the election, the U.S. was hard hit

by Hurricane Sandy, and Chair Su had expressed

his condolences over the casualties caused.

After the election results were announced,

Chair Su, in a letter, congratulated President Ba-

rack Obama and Vice President Joseph Biden for

Legislators Lee Ying-yuan and Lee Chun-yi at the Demo-cratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolinain early September.


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PAGE 12

DPP hopes to continue strengtheningTaiwan-U.S. relations after US presiden-

tial election

their successful re-election as well as to the newly

elected congress and senate for their success.

Meanwhile, he expressed his highest respect and

admiration to the American people for success-

fully exercising democracy.

Also at the end of August, the DPP sent delega-tions comprised of DPP legislators and senior

party executives to observe the Republican and

Democratic conventions. Meanwhile, Mr. Wu and

Mr. Liu paid several visits to officials and strate-

gists in Washington, D.C. With the arrival of

newly-appointed AIT Director Christopher J. Ma-

rut, the DPP had initiated interactions with Mr.

Marut in an effort to encourage future coopera-

tion.

During the week in which the election took

place, the DPP sent another delegation to observe

the last-minute campaign rallies and result count.

This delegation was comprised of a city councilor

and senior party executives for the purpose of

promoting more understanding of US political

parties and democracy in action.

During the week ofthe US presidentialelection, the DPP

sent a delegation towatch the last-minutecampaign. Here thedelegation is visitingU.S. RepresentativeGrace Meng in NewYork.


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PAGE 13

DEMOCRACY &

PROGRESS

PUBLISHED BY:

Department of International

Aff

airs DemocraticProgressive Party

9F, No. 30, Pei-Ping EastRoad, Taipei, Taiwan

Tel: 886-2-2392-9989 ext. 306

Fax: 886-2-2393-0342

Email: [email protected]

Website:

http://www.dpp.org.tw

DPP makes three ap-peals to Chinas new

leadership

The Peoples Republic of China has made a change

in its leadership during the 18th National Congress

of the Communist Party of China (CPC). On Nov.

15, the DPP issued a statement making three appeals

to the CPC.

First, the DPP appeals to the new leaders to carry

out economic, civic and political reform in order to

respond to the needs of its people.

Second, the DPP also appeals to the new leaders to

fully recognize China as a rising power, positively

assuming its international responsibilities and make

a greater contribution to global peace.

Third, the DPP appeals to the new generation of the

CPC to exercise new thinking around cross strait

issue with greater respect for public opinion in Tai-

wan, based on a broader vision and deeper under-

standing of the differences, adopting the principles

of peace, equality and reciprocity in order to main-

tain stability and peace between the two sides and in

the Asia Pacific region.
http://www.dpp.org.tw/http://www.dpp.org.tw/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]

DPP Newsletter Nov2012

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