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A CLOSE
LOOK A Japanese house bat clings to a man’s finger in Taipei yesterday. As part of its Season of Science starting on Aug. 6, the National Science Council is organizing an activity at Taipei Zoo to give visitors a closer look at the lives of bats.
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DPP, officials clash over Ma’s commercial flights
PERCEPTIONS: The
DPP was skeptical of the Presidential Office’s claim that it was trying to save
money to dispel Taiwan’s image as a country that ‘likes to flaunt its wealth’
By Ko
Shu-ling and Rich Chang
STAFF REPORTERS
Thursday, Jul 24, 2008, Page 1
The Presidential Office and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday
locked horns over the former’s decision to have President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)
travel on commercial airlines during his upcoming Latin American trip.
While the Presidential Office said the use of commercial flights was an attempt
to avoid the stereotypical impression of Taiwan as a country that “likes to
flaunt its wealth,” the DPP said the Presidential Office was “saving a little
money but losing out on upholding Taiwan’s dignity” by not using charter flights
for the whole trip.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) told a press conference
yesterday that the changes were made to “purge” the country’s international
image as a “troublemaker” employing “dollar diplomacy.”
The use of commercial flights for segments of the trip would save taxpayers an
estimated NT$30 million (US$987,000), he said.
Ma is scheduled to visit Paraguay and the Dominican Republic on Aug. 15 and Aug.
16. The president and his entourage are booked to take a commercial airline en
route to Paraguay. They will fly to the Dominican Republic on a charter flight,
which will then take them to San Francisco. The delegation is scheduled to
return on a commercial flight.
Wang dismissed the DPP’s criticism that taking commercial flights did not
correspond with Ma’s status as the head of state and ignored international
protocol.
“Taking into account the economic situation, both at home and abroad, it makes
sense if we can spend as little as possible to get the same result,” Wang said.
“What is more important is that some practical planning could shake off the
country’s image of luxury and avoid creating the stereotypical impression that
Taiwan is a country that likes to flaunt its wealth. This would also be useful
in future diplomatic tasks,” the Presidential Office spokesman said.
Wang said a National Security Agency appraisal had concluded that it would be
safe for Ma to take commercial flights.
In addition, the first-class cabin would be reserved for Ma and his entourage,
the same arrangement that was used when the former vice president and premier
went abroad on commercial airlines, he said.
While former officials’ delegations included hundreds of people and needed more
than three hours to check in luggage, Wang said the Presidential Office would
tightly restrict the number of people accompanying Ma while keeping the
inconvenience caused to other passengers to the minimum.
Regarding Ma’s transits through Los Angeles on his way to Latin America and
through San Francisco on his way back, Wang urged the public to refrain from
complicating matters.
“Stopovers are just a part of the trip, not the purpose,” he said. “We hope to
make everything as simple as possible. Both the US and Taiwan feel the trip
should be conducted according to the principles of ‘safety, comfort, convenience
and dignity.’”
The DPP held a separate press conference yesterday morning, where it accused Ma
of damaging the country’s dignity by using commercial flights rather than
special charter flights for his first overseas trip as head of state.
“The decision to use commercial flights is in accordance with Ma’s ‘diplomatic
truce’ with China and is imperiling Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts,” DPP Deputy
Secretary-General Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said.
Chen said that, in the face of China’s oppression, “head of state diplomacy
(元首外交)” has been the core of Taiwan’s diplomatic efforts.
“But Ma’s so-called low-profile overseas trip could leave Taiwan’s allies with
the impression that the country does not assert its diplomatic ties,” Chen said.
Saying that security was the most important concern in a presidential trip
abroad, Chen said the Presidential Office was emphasizing how much money the
government could save, but skimping on the security issue.
Using commercial flights and traveling with other passengers could increase the
security risks of the trip, he said.
“Ma’s move only improves his personal image of frugality, but not that of the
nation,” DPP Cultural and Publicity Department Director Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦)
said.
The move was intended to mask Ma and the government’s poor performance, he said.
A creeping
loss of sovereign spirit
Thursday, Jul 24, 2008, Page 8
After the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) fictional “1992 consensus” — with
Taipei and Beijing purportedly agreeing on “one China, with each side having its
own interpretation” — comes another attempt to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Beijing, as the host of the Summer Olympics, has been maneuvering to change
Taiwan’s title at the Games from “Chinese Taipei” or Zhonghua Taibei (中華台北) to
“Taipei, China” or Zhongguo Taibei (中國台北).
Under a protocol signed with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Taiwan’s
Olympic team is addressed as “Chinese Taipei.” Beijing has, however, brazenly
chosen to ignore this, choosing to push its own take on the name.
Never mind President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) acknowledgment in his inaugural speech
of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) words on facing reality, pioneering a new
future, shelving controversies and pursuing a win-win situation. Shrewd as ever,
China has referred to Taiwan’s Olympic team as Zhongguo Taibei in its media
reports. Yang Yi (楊毅), the spokesman for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, argued
that the IOC decision on the use of Zhonghua Taibei was not binding on any other
Chinese groups, organizations or individuals.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mainland Affairs Council have slammed
Beijing, saying the Taiwanese team would never accept the title Zhongguo Taibei.
While the government pats itself on the back for verbally defending the dignity
of the national team, there lies a subtle yet sad change in the game of Taiwan
versus China in which Taiwan, so far, is losing points.
Case in point: Under the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government,
the administration battled to participate in international events and
organizations under the name “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei.” Now, under
the KMT regime, the nation has fallen to defending the name “Chinese Taipei”
against the title “Taipei, China.”
Yang has argued that using the name Zhongguo Taibei does not belittle Taiwan. He
was right — to a certain extent — because Taiwan had already downgraded its name
when it accepted the title “Chinese Taipei” in 1981.
But the seemingly harmless effect of calling Taiwan “Chinese Taipei” is slowly
creeping in and gradually transforming national identity. Hence, we see more
Taiwanese fans cheering for their athletes by calling them “Chinese Taipei”
instead of “Taiwan” and Ma readily choosing the name “Chinese Taipei” for the
country’s application to join the WHO.
While visiting a national athletes’ training center in Kaohsiung yesterday,
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) was asked whether Beijing’s use of Zhongguo Taibei
to refer to Taiwan’s Olympic team was a downgrading of Taiwan’s status.
Liu replied that the government was prepared “to deal with any possible
scenarios that may happen.”
Let’s hope so. Or else Beijing could introduce Taiwan as part of China at the
Olympic opening ceremony when it calls Taiwan’s Aboriginal dance performance a
show by “one of China’s minority groups” while Ma’s weak protest goes unnoticed.