Ma and Clinton exchange greetings
　

'GOOD FOR EVERYONE': The president said he was working hard to stabilize relations with China, which the US secretary of state said Washington supported
　

By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 1

“I am the president of the Republic of China. I will respond if somebody calls me ‘president of Taiwan’ but I am not the president of the Republic of Taiwan.”— President Ma Ying-jeou
　

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had a brief exchange with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Sunday in an unofficial but symbolic meeting.

Introducing himself as “president of Taiwan,” Ma thanked Clinton for Washington’s support on cross-strait matters.

He told Clinton his administration would do everything it could to stabilize cross-strait relations, to which she replied that this was what the US hoped for, adding: “That’s good for everyone.”

The exchange took place at a state dinner hosted by former Salvadoran president Elias Antonio Saca on Sunday, the last day of his presidential term.

Ma and Clinton, who were seated at the same table, exchanged greetings after Clinton approached Ma and first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青).

Taiwan and the US suspended high-level contact after Washington switched allegiance to Beijing in 1979.

In 2003, then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) met then-US secretary of state Colin Powell during a visit to Panama to attend the country’s centenary celebrations.

In May 2006, Chen exchanged greetings with then-US first lady Laura Bush at an inauguration ceremony for Costa Rican President Oscar Arias in San Jose.

Ma led a 159-member delegation to Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes’ inauguration, which took place on Monday. Accompanying him were his wife, local government heads, college officials, student representatives and a performance group.

Ma made a stopover in Los Angeles on his way to El Salvador and will stop in Seattle on his way back. The delegation is scheduled to return to Taipei tomorrow.

At a gathering with Taiwanese reporters after the inauguration, Ma downplayed his encounter with Clinton.

“I am the president of the Republic of China,” he said. “I will respond if somebody calls me ‘president of Taiwan’ but I am not the president of the Republic of Taiwan.”

Ma said since the situation in the Taiwan Strait is “very sensitive,” it would be best to view his brief exchange with Clinton as an “exchange of polite greetings” at a diplomatic function.

“Only by doing so can we obtain the trust of our allies that have or do not have diplomatic ties with us,” he said. “We want them to know that we are stable and do not want to make trouble.”

But Taiwan cannot rely on occasional meetings alone to strengthen relations with the US, Ma said, adding that being low-key and “surprise-free” were the best policy.

Ma told reporters he did not think the meeting was “accidental.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) had previously said Ma and Clinton would likely meet at the event.

Ma said it was apparent during his trip that his foreign policy and efforts to improve cross-strait relations over the past year had been successful and had earned recognition.

Ma said success in these areas had boosted his confidence, adding that he had achieved the goals he set for the trip and that the outcome was “better than expected.”

Ma said he was not against El Salvador’s plan to develop business ties with Beijing, and that the government’s relationship with El Salvador would be based on openness and practicality.

On foreign aid offered to diplomatic allies, Ma said his policy was teaching them to fish rather than feeding them for a day.

Ma held talks with Honduran President Jose Manuel Zelaya and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega after the inauguration.

During Ma’s meeting with Zelaya, the two agreed that Taiwan would assist Honduras in three areas: construction technology for power facilities, development of clean energy and urban development, said Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), who accompanied Ma on the trip.

Meanwhile, although representatives of the Chinese Communist Party were invited to attend Funes’ inauguration, they declined the invitation.

Back in Taipei, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) put El Salvador’s use of the term “Republic of Taiwan” in a press release down to the MOFA’s negligence.

“This is ridiculous. Our ally doesn’t even know the name “Republic of China.” This also proves that MOFA has neglected its duties,” Lee told reporters.

Also yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus panned Ma for staying at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City Hotel during his stopover in Los Angeles.

The hotel is run by the fugitive former Tuntex Group chairman, Chen Yu-hao (陳由豪).

In an ironic twist, Ma met with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt at the hotel to talk about signing an extradition treaty

“Ma and MOFA did not care that Chen is the most wanted criminal in the country,” DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津) said yesterday, adding that MOFA should not have let Ma stay at the hotel.

KMT caucus blocks Tiananmen resolution
　

By Flora Wang and Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTERS
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 1
　

A proposed resolution calling on China to apologize for the Tiananmen Square Massacre stalled in the legislature yesterday after objections by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers.

Although the KMT caucus agreed with a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) motion to put the proposal at the top of yesterday’s plenary agenda, it then suggested referring the proposal to cross-party talks rather than putting it to a direct vote.

That could stall the proposal by up to one month.

The DPP initiated the proposal to mark the 20th anniversary of the massacre tomorrow.

If the proposal is passed, it would be the first time the legislature has called on China to admit to and apologize for the 1989 military crackdown.

“The DPP hereby submits the most significant resolution in [Taiwanese] history. We know clearly that the June 4 Incident is a major historical event related to human rights and freedom,” DPP caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) said.

“This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre. We believe the legislature and the government should express their position on the incident,” Ker said.

Ker criticized President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), saying that he had kept a low profile rather than speaking out in support of Chinese dissidents since being sworn in.

“Redress the unjust June 4 Incident and oppose tyranny,” DPP lawmakers chanted on the legislative floor after the KMT blocked the proposal.

The KMT also blocked a DPP proposal urging the Myanmar junta to release democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.

The proposal would also require that the government play an active role in supporting Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese in their pursuit of democracy and freedom.

The proposal calls on the government to consider imposing economic sanctions unless Myanmar improves its human rights record and makes the transition to democracy.

“The government and the KMT should take this next step fearlessly as Taiwan upholds its dignity as a beacon of democracy in Asia,” DPP Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.

KMT caucus secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said later yesterday that although the KMT supported human rights, the caucus believed the wording of the two proposals should be changed.

She did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday asked the president to call on the Chinese government to compensate the victims of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

“I also asked President Ma to list democracy and human rights as subjects for future cross-strait talks,” Tsai said in a speech at a DPP forum on challenges to the nation’s democracy, human rights in Tibet and the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

Tsai criticized the president for not publicly acknowledging and condemning the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for the Tiananmen crackdown.

Ma had done so for years but stopped when he became president, Tsai said.

Tsai said Ma was also silent on human rights violations in Tibet and had rejected the Dalai Lama’s request to visit Taiwan, thereby siding with the CCP on oppression in Tibet.

“For short-term economic interests from China, Ma has paid a high cost by abandoning the values of human rights and democracy,” she said.

“If Taiwan does not discuss human rights and democracy in cross-strait talks, democracy and human rights might one day be in danger in Taiwan. And if China continues to oppress democracy and human rights, any results of cross-strait talks are dangerous, fragile and unsure. Only a democratized China would lead to a peaceful and healthy cross-strait relationship,” Tsai said.

She urged Ma to call on the CCP to stop oppressing Tibetans, respect their rights, including the right to self-determination, and reveal the truth about the crackdown on protests in Tibet last year.

Ma should also urge China to release Chinese writer Liu Xiaobo (劉曉波), she said.

Liu was detained by police on Dec. 8 ahead of the publication of Charter 08, a document he co-authored calling for stronger civil rights and an end to the CPP’s political dominance.

Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里) told the forum Ma had visited a Liberty Square protest last March against China’s oppression of Tibet, but had been silent on the issue since taking office.

Fort Liao (廖福特), an Academia Sinica research fellow, said Ma was friendly with the CCP and praised Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國), but both the CCP and the Chiangs are symbols of human rights violations.

It was therefore not surprising that Ma was pushing measures that jeopardized Taiwan’s human rights and democracy, Liao said.

Chen Chun-kai (陳君愷), a history professor at Fu Jen Catholic University, said both the CCP and the KMT stressed nationalism and regimes that promote nationalism tend to violate the principles of democracy and human rights.

Meanwhile, legislators passed an amendment to the Referendum Act (公投法) that cancels a requirement that the number of seats each party holds on the Executive Yuan’s Referendum Review Committee be proportional to the party’s legislative seats.

The Council of Grand Justices last year said the committee’s makeup was unconstitutional.

The amendment now empowers the president to appoint candidates recommended by the Cabinet.

A single political party must not control half or more than half of the seats, the amendment states.

Job openings set to increase: CLA
　

POSITIVE OUTLOOK: The Council of Labor Affairs said that respondents to a survey of businesses planned to hire 49,900 people next month, while laying off 30,300
　

By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 2

About 20,000 jobs will become available next month, with more companies reporting plans to hire staff in the near future, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) said yesterday.

In a quarterly poll of 3,006 businesses with 30 or more employees, companies were asked how many workers they were planning to hire or lay off next month.

Respondents planning to hire were looking for a total of 49,900 people, while companies planning layoffs said they would let a total of 30,300 go.

This was the first time in three consecutive quarters that there has been a positive net projected labor demand.

“The main reasons for the growth in labor demand could be attributed to more job openings created by the government, increased domestic demand and economic stimulus plans,” said Cheng Wen-yuan (鄭文淵), director of the council’s Statistics Department.

Cheng said that because summer is a peak travel season, businesses might be anticipating rising numbers of Chinese tourists, and therefore an increased need for staff.

Companies in the retail and distribution sectors reported the most net labor demand (6,158), followed by the hotel and food industry (4,108), financial and insurance (2,915) and information technology and communications (2,479).

The financial and insurance sectors could be planning to hire more personnel because of the growing optimism of improved business, given that Taiwan and China are working on a memorandum of understanding to cover financial supervision of the banking, brokerage and insurance sectors, Cheng said.

Former president keeps mum in court
　

THE SILENT TREATMENT: Except for stating that he was not pleading guilty and that he would not call any witnesses, Chen Shui-bian remained silent at a pre-trial hearing

By Shelley Huang
STAFF REPORTER
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 3

Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) refused to speak at his pre-trial hearing yesterday in protest against what he calls an unfair judicial system.

Because Chen had earlier dismissed his three lawyers in protest, he was represented by two public defenders — Tseng Te-rong (曾德榮) and Tang Chen-chi (唐禎祺).

Tseng and Tang represented Chen for the first time in the pre-trial hearing on new charges laid against the former president and his wife, Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍).

Because Chen has refused to discuss the case with his court-­appointed attorneys, Tseng and Tang prepared their arguments independent of Chen.

After listening to the prosecutors' statement, Chen's attorneys rebutted the allegations. Tsai read Chen his rights and asked if he understood, but Chen kept silent.

When Tsai asked whether Chen pleaded guilty or not guilty to the crimes, Chen said: “I don't plead guilty. I won't argue, I won't call witnesses, I won't examine witnesses, because I did not commit any crime.”

Tsai continued with other routine questions, but Chen did not respond.

Chen kept his silence until a short recess, when he told his two attorneys that he did not wish to call his wife as a witness.

On May 5, prosecutors said they had concluded the second part of the investigation into the former first family and charged Chen and his wife with taking bribes, profiteering and violating the Political Donation Act (政治獻金法).

Prosecutors accused the former president and his wife of accepting NT$10 million (US$300,000) in bribes from former Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Diana Chen (陳敏薰).

Prosecutors alleged that Diana Chen gave the former first lady NT$10 million to help her gain the post of president of Grand Cathay Securities Corp (大華證券).

The indictment also accused the couple of inappropriately taking NT$300 million in political donations from former Chinatrust Financial Holding Co vice chairman Jeffrey Koo Jr (辜仲諒).

Prosecutors accused the former president of using election campaign funds and secret foreign relations as excuses to ask Koo for donations, which the couple then pocketed.

In response, Tang said that Wu and Diana Chen were as close as mother and daughter and the prosecution had not established a connection between Diana Chen giving money to the former first family and becoming the president of Grand Cathay Securities Corp.

Tseng also defended the former president by saying that Chen Shui-bian did not instruct Koo to give him money, and there was no proof that Chen received money for personal profit.

The two public defenders originally planned to call Wu as well as several former government officials as witnesses.

However, after Chen said he did not want Wu to be to the stand, the two retracted their request.

China detains former Tiananmen prisoner

AFP , BEIJING
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 5

A former Tiananmen prisoner has been detained and other dissidents placed under house arrest or tight surveillance ahead of the 20th anniversary of the crackdown, activists said yesterday.

Wu Gaoxing (吳高興), who was jailed for two years after he protested in 1989 in Zhejiang Province as the pro-democracy demonstrations were taking place in Beijing, was taken away on Saturday, fellow activist Chen Longde (陳龍德) said.

Wu had just written an open letter to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) seeking economic redress for those jailed after the army crackdown on and around Tiananmen Square on June 4, which killed hundreds and possibly thousands.

Chen, who himself was jailed for three years and signed the letter along with three other former prisoners, said they wanted the government to resolve their living problems, which included a lack of health insurance.

“We were also fired from our companies,” he said over the telephone. “For 20 years, they have deprived us of our right to life.”

Chen said he and the three other signatories had not been bothered by police, and believed Wu had been detained because he wrote the letter.

In Beijing, meanwhile, Ding Zilin (丁子霖), a 72-year-old woman whose son Jiang Jielian (蔣捷連) was shot and killed in the crackdown on the evening of June 3, said she had been asked to leave Beijing ahead of tomorrow’s anniversary.

“But I refused,” she said, adding she had been followed yesterday when she left her house to buy things to mark her son’s birthday, which would have been yesterday, and his death.

In Guizhou Province, human rights activist Chen Xi (陳西) said he had been put under house arrest, and fellow dissidents in Guiyang, the provincial capital, were under strict surveillance.

The latest crackdown on dissidents came after Bao Tong (鮑彤) — a former aide to late Chinese leader Zhao Ziyang (趙紫陽) — was taken out of Beijing last week.

Qi Zhiyong (齊志勇), who lost a leg after being shot during the crackdown, said he was under house arrest in west Beijing, and had been stopped from going to church on Sunday.

And Jiang Qisheng (江棋生), who was jailed in 1999 for four years for calling on people to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the crackdown, said police had been stationed at his Beijing home around the clock.

Helping China milk Taiwan dry

Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 8

The Ministry of Economic Affairs has come up with a plan outlining 101 types of investment that would be permitted from Chinese businesses, including 11 types of infrastructure projects, 25 in the service industry and 65 in the manufacturing sector.

Although the Cabinet has passed a set of regulations governing Chinese investment, it has yet to pass the plan defining permissible types of investment. While waiting for the Cabinet to pass the proposal and draw up complementary regulations, the ministry has said it expects the new regulations to come into effect this month.

Of the proposed investment categories, major projects such as the opening of Taiwan’s airports and docks and related facilities as well as major facilities at scenic and recreational areas to Chinese investment have proved to be the most contestable.

At the same time, the pan-blue camp has been strongly pushing draft amendments to the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects (促進民間參與公共建設法部分條文修正草案) in the legislature that would loosen restrictions on investment in build-operate-transfer (BOT) infrastructure projects to remove obstructions and pave the way for Chinese investment.

This move would squeeze out Taiwanese companies, compromise Taiwanese national security and dictate the direction of political developments — unwise given the fact that China is still an enemy that has refused to renounce the use of military force against Taiwan.

Since coming to power, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration has opened Taiwan to China. Allowing Chinese nationals to invest in the stock market, real estate or BOT infrastructure projects would be a grave mistake.

Chinese tourists only bring minor profits and crowd out tourists with more spending power from the US, EU and Japan — thus costing more than they bring in — but it could still be argued that allowing more Chinese tourists is aimed at expanding Taiwan’s domestic tourist market. Allowing Chinese investment brings no benefit at all.

Even though Taiwan’s economy is in serious decline, the last thing we lack is capital. Foreign reserves exceed US$300 billion and there is a high level of private savings. Domestic capital is abundant and there is no need for the injection of foreign funds. If the government wants to breathe life into the economy, the primary goal should be improving the investment environment and instilling confidence in the public.

If we look closely at the proposed investment categories, it is easy to see that argument for opening to China is flawed and designed to sell out Taiwan. One of the proposed categories for Chinese investment is the manufacturing sector. However, based on China’s advantage in manufacturing because of its low wage levels, Chinese businesses would earn nothing by setting up factories here. It is obvious the real motive behind investment would be to enter financial and real estate markets and bid on BOT infrastructure projects.

Chinese investment is mostly motivated by politics and over the past few years, Beijing has engaged in overseas investment and takeovers not for business, but because of strategic demands. Once the government allows Chinese investors in, the stock market and real estate market will be controlled by China. A financial bubble will be created and the gap between the rich and poor will widen, planting the seeds of serious social division and conflict.

Apart from these issues, if China buys out leading companies in major industries — for example telecommunications, finance and science and technology — not only will the foundations for the development of China’s industries be strengthened, Taiwan’s industries will be milked dry.

As for BOT infrastructure, each such project represents large numbers of business and employment opportunities. The motivation for the government to issue public debt of several hundred billion New Taiwan dollars to expand infrastructure should be aimed at ensuring that domestic businesses have work during the current economic downturn, which would increase employment.

However, the government wants to allow Chinese to invest in BOT infrastructure projects, effectively giving away business and employment opportunities. Taiwanese businesses have no technical difficulties when it comes to public works such as development of mountainous areas, land reclamation, developing tunnels, building airports and the development of commercial ports, nor do they suffer from a lack of funds. So why would the government want to allow Chinese businesses to invest in such projects?

More importantly, airports and docks are crucial to national security and once Chinese investment is involved in BOT projects of this nature, China will have Taiwan by the throat. Also, given the current influx of Chinese tourists, once Chinese businesses start investing in facilities at scenic and recreational areas in Taiwan, it is only inevitable that Chinese travel agencies will control the entire market. Chinese tourists will come to Taiwan on Chinese airplanes and stay in Chinese-run hotels.

The Ma administration’s reliance on China is outright wrong and its policies aimed at attracting Chinese investment are absurd. If the government continues to refuse to realize their errors, Taiwanese contempt for Ma and his government will continue to grow.
　

No honor in story of celebrated suicide
　

By Kuo Cheng-Deng 郭正典
Wednesday, Jun 03, 2009, Page 8

‘We should only commemorate people and events related to us instead of blindly following Chinese traditions.’

Dragon Boat Festival was originally a day to dispel disease in the summer.

But after poet Qu Yuan (屈原) of the ancient kingdom of Chu was said to have thrown himself into a river on the day more than 2,000 years ago, it turned into a holiday to commemorate him. Today, Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Moon Festival are all important holidays in Chinese culture.

But is Qu’s suicide the kind of behavior that should be encouraged? And what does Qu have to do with Taiwan?

Former South Korean president Roh Moo-hyun committed suicide on May 23 to protect his name. In Taipei, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) talked about Roh’s suicide in a positive light.

Pan-blue camp politicians and commentators also took the opportunity to mock former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), as if they thought he should commit suicide to salvage his dignity.

Such comments, however, incited strong public condemnation, because talking about suicide as a way of solving a problem or encouraging others to kill themselves may inspire anyone encountering hardships to do so.

Such exhortations show a lack of humanity.

If we should not sympathize with Roh or praise him for committing suicide, then why should we commemorate the day Qu committed suicide and celebrate it as a holiday?

Must we really follow the Chinese tradition of making zongzi — steamed rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves — and hold dragon boat races to commemorate a suicide thousands of years ago by someone completely unrelated to Taiwan? Isn’t that tantamount to encouraging suicide?

If it is not, Taiwan should instead commemorate the pro-independence activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), who set himself on fire 20 years ago to defend freedom of expression. We should not hail Deng’s action, but recognize that he felt that he was forced to take such action because of events. Without his sacrifice, Taiwan would be unable to enjoy the freedom of expression and democracy it has today.

Compared with Qu, who killed himself because he was unable to fulfill his wishes, Deng is more deserving of remembrance.

We often say “Taiwan and China, one country on each side.” But we still naively celebrate Chinese holidays and identify ourselves with Chinese culture and China. Small wonder that many Taiwanese refer to themselves as “Chinese” without thinking about it. This is why it is so difficult to build Taiwanese self-awareness.

There is no need for Taiwanese to purposely avoid Chinese holidays if the holidays relate to Taiwan. But there is no value in celebrating holidays with no connection to Taiwan.

It is time for Taiwan to review its national holidays. We should only commemorate people and events related to us instead of blindly following Chinese traditions.

We Taiwanese must follow our own path to build a culture and customs that belong to us.

Kuo Cheng-deng is a doctor.