China pressures Sarkozy not to meet Dalai Lama

AP AND AFP, BEIJING AND BRUSSELS
Friday, Dec 05, 2008, Page 1

China sent another strong warning to France yesterday, hinting that a planned meeting between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and the Dalai Lama could have a broad effect on ties between the two countries.

China’s latest salvo in its campaign to isolate the Tibetan leader and punish Sarkozy came two days ahead of tomorrow’s meeting in the Polish city of Gdansk.

Beijing had demanded that Sarkozy cancel the meeting and called off a major China-EU summit planned for this week to register its dissatisfaction. That sparked fears among French business groups that trade ties could suffer — as they did between China and Germany after German Chancellor Angela Merkel met the Dalai Lama in Berlin last year.

At a regular news conference, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said China hoped France “will create positive conditions for developing overall China-French relations and not create an impact on long-term development of ties that would harm the interests of people from the two countries.”

Paris, which holds the rotating EU presidency, must give “sincere consideration to the Chinese concerns and the position taken by China and take real action to improve China-French relations and ensure the development of China-EU relations,” Liu said.

China has been keeping mum on whether it plans to reduce its trade with France in retaliation, although Liu in his comments said economic and trade ties “rested on the basis of mutual benefit.”

He would not comment on any further impact of the Gdansk meeting, but the cancelation of the EU summit essentially paralyzed cooperation with the bloc.

Up to 200 Chinese business executives had been expected to meet with European counterparts on the fringes of the summit.

Meanwhile, the Dalai Lama met Belgian Prime Minister Yves Leterme on Wednesday and was scheduled to address the European Parliament in Brussels yesterday.

The meeting with Leterme was a 25-minute courtesy call at the prime minister’s official residence, a Belgian government spokesman said.

“He was received as a spiritual figure. What was said will remain between them,” he said.

The showpiece of the 73-year-old Buddhist leader’s visit to Brussels was to be yesterday’s speech in front of the European Parliament, as part of the chamber’s year of intercultural dialogue.

Later in the day, he was expected to visit the Belgian parliament.

Obama to mull waiver: Young
　

REDUCING FRAUD: Young said that the US recognizes that Taiwanese travelers have a reputation for abiding by the country’s laws and for spending generously

STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
Friday, Dec 05, 2008, Page 2

American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Stephen Young said yesterday that the administration of US president-elect Barack Obama would give careful consideration to including Taiwan in the US Visa Waiver Program if it meets the requirements.

During a speech at an American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei luncheon, Young said that he would not rule out the possibility that Taiwanese would eventually get visa-free treatment when they travel to the US.

However, Young said that there were a number of issues that needed to be resolved before Taiwan could be considered for the program, which was granted last month to citizens of seven countries, including South Korea.

Under the program, citizens of member countries may travel to the US without a visa for up to 90 days for business or pleasure.

Young said that the US remained a favorite destination for study, business and leisure for Taiwanese, but too often the US has found instances where people who were not Taiwanese have been able to obtain genuine Republic of China passports.

“We applaud Taiwan’s efforts to introduce a new passport,” Young said, referring to the “ePassports” that Taiwan plans to roll out at the end of the month.

The electronic passports are embedded with a chip that contains the biometric data and the facial image of the passport bearer. They are difficult to forge.

Young said the US hoped that the new passports and other measures including the strengthening of passport application procedures would help reduce passport fraud.

Young said that the US recognized that Taiwanese travelers to the US had a strong reputation for abiding by the country’s immigration laws and for spending generously while in the US, which was why he thinks that the new administration would look favorably upon Taiwan.

“People-to-people exchange is a critical component of our relationship,” Young said, adding that many Taiwanese government officials obtained their degrees in the US.

The US Department of Homeland Security has said there were 36,000 students from Taiwan in the US, making Taiwan second only to South Korea worldwide in terms of the portion of its overall population studying in the US.

Young said that he was glad to see that the number of Taiwanese students in the US remained strong.

On the other hand, he said there had been a drop in applications for visitor visas, a trend he blamed on the current economic downturn.

Officials try to defuse Dalai Lama row
　

OPINION DIVIDED: Chinese Nationalist Party legislators were split over the issue — some supported President Ma Ying-jeou's comments, others urged him to reconsider
　

By Ko Shu-ling and Flora Wang
STAFF REPORTERS
Friday, Dec 05, 2008, Page 3
　

The Presidential Office yesterday tried to tone down President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) blunt rejection on Wednesday of the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit, saying that it was based on a “consideration of the overall national interest.”

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦), however, would not expound on what “the overall national interest” considerations were when asked by reporters for an elaboration.

“It is a very complicated issue,” he said when pressed on whether “the national interest” referred to cross-strait relations.

When asked whether the Presidential Office was under any pressure from Beijing regarding the Tibetan spiritual leader’s planned visit, Wang said there had been no contact with Beijing in this regard. Although the Dalai Lama has expressed an interest in visiting Taiwan, the administration has not yet received any request for a visit, he said.

“We would make appropriate arrangements if a more appropriate time arises in the future,” Wang said.

Fielding questions from the press while attending an event hosted by the Taiwan Foreign Correspondents Club on Wednesday, Ma said the Dalai Lama was not welcome to visit Taiwan when asked how he would respond to the Tibetan spiritual leader’s Nov. 28 comments to Elta TV in the northern Indian city of Dharamsala that he would like to visit Taiwan next year.

Ma’s comments marked a distinct change of attitude. In March, Ma said he would welcome a visit by the Tibetan spiritual leader following his inauguration as president.

Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday urged the president to reconsider his decision.

“From a religious perspective, it is a positive thing for the Dalai Lama to visit Taiwan ... His visit to Taiwan would mean something in the world,” Wang said, urging the government to reconsider the matter and make arrangements for a visit.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chu Feng-chih (朱鳳芝) said yesterday that she did not understand what Ma meant by saying “it is not the right time for a [Dalai Lama] visit.”

“I don’t know what President Ma is thinking or what he is afraid of,” she said when questioning Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) at the legislature.

KMT Legislator Justin Chou (周守訓), however, supported Ma’s position, saying that “the timing and location were inappropriate” for the Dalai Lama to visit.

“After all, the Dalai Lama is negotiating with China regarding the Tibet issue ... Inviting him to visit now would only add some uncertainty to the [negotiation] process,” Chou said. “When religion tangles with politics, we should always be very cautious.”

KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said Ma’s remarks should be viewed as a gesture of “goodwill” to Beijing.

“We are going to officially launch direct cross-strait transportation links on Dec. 15. This is a very important moment [in cross-strait affairs],” Yang said.

KMT caucus whip Lin Yi-shih (林益世) called the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus’ intention to propose a legislative resolution to invite the Dalai Lama a “manipulation of political ideology.”

DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) expressed regret and condemned Ma for rejecting a potential visit by the Dalai Lama.

Noting that former presidents Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had both received the Dalai Lama, Cheng said leaders from democratic countries such as the US, France and Germany have also met with the Dalai Lama as a way to exert pressure on China.

“The Dalai Lama is welcomed in democratic countries and Taiwan should stand on the side of these democracies,” Cheng told a press conference. “President Ma should clearly explain to the public the reasons why he is agianst any visit. [Ma] should not yield to Beijing’s pressure because it could become a serious international incident and hurt Taiwan’s image as a democracy.”

At a separate setting yesterday, MAC Deputy Minister Liu Te-shun (劉德勳) tried to downplay Ma’s remarks, saying that the Dalai Lama was an internationally revered religious leader who has never been unwelcome.

Liu said the MAC had not yet made any assessment of a visit because it did not have any concrete information on any visit, but that it would keep a close eye on developments.

Liu declined to comment on whether Ma’s remarks were inappropriate and what message it conveyed to the international community when leaders of other democracies had resisted Beijing’s pressure and met with the Dalai Lama.

Meanwhile, Taiwan Friends of Tibet (TFOT) also condemned Ma.

“At this moment, when the Dalai Lama is visiting Europe, meeting with the Belgian prime minister and about to deliver a speech at the European Parliament, the Taiwanese government openly rejects a visit,” TFOT chairwoman Chow Mei-li (周美里) said in a press release. “This has surely damaged Taiwan’s image in the international community.”

Chow urged Ma to stand behind the values of freedom and democracy and not to bow to pressure from China’s authoritarian regime.

“It’s disappointing that Ma is so eager to reject a visit by the Dalai Lama that he has to say so before the Dalai Lama has even made a plan,” she said.

KMT’s assets are legal?

I couldn’t stop laughing when I read Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said: “All KMT assets had been acquired legally ... but the party must divest itself ... within a short period of time” (“KMT’s assets are legal, but should be dumped,” Dec. 1, page 3). I wonder who is Wu trying to fool, the public or the KMT members who are mentally challenged.

When the KMT released a report on its assets on Aug. 23, 2006, then KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) acknowledged that the procedure of acquiring assets lacked legitimacy, but he declined to offer an apology and simply said: “It happened during a special period, so there is no point in being too critical about it” (“KMT unveils particulars of party assets,” Aug. 24, 2004, page 1).

Evidently Ma and his followers did not want to know the truth, which is too painful to accept.

Although the Democratic Progressive Party had specified the location of KMT properties to force the party to return these assets, the KMT refused. Ma, as chairman, sold off the party’s real estate holdings, thinking “out of sight, out of mind” (“Accounts reveal scale of KMT’s asset theft,” Oct. 27, 2006, page 8).

The proceeds of the sales of ill-gotten assets was never returned to the national treasury, but recycled back to KMT coffers, which was then reinvested overseas, such as the Taiwan Trade Development Building in Tokyo or a trust fund managed by a Swiss bank.

I hope Wu knows that whether you divest the assets in Taiwan or elsewhere around the world, they still belong to the public if they had been looted.

The only way to verify its assets’ legitimacy is to open its book to an independent commission to investigate and trace the origin of all of its assets — when and how they were acquired — dating back to the time of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國). Only then can the KMT rebuild itself as a clean party that the public can trust.

Better still, Wu might heed the advice of members, such as Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and Legislator Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕), who suggested that party should not maintain any assets (“Assets, party relations dog Ma in first year as chair,” Aug. 28, 2006, page 3).

Perhaps Wu should be bold enough to return the assets to the public if they are acquired illegally. As Taiwan’s economy continues to be sluggish, the public would welcome Wu’s gesture. The government can then use the funds to create thousands of jobs that will speed up the economic recovery. This will be a win, win situation for the Ma adminsitration and the KMT.

Kris Liao
San Francisco, California

Ma seems to have forgotten the south
　

By Li Kuan-long 李坤隆
Friday, Dec 05, 2008, Page 8

‘[President Ma] has not only failed to show concern for residents in the south, but also ignored issues raised by local politicians. All of this has disappointed many of his supporters.’

In the eyes of most people, especially residents in southern Taiwan, the changes in President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) attitude after he was elected president is the source of most criticism.

Before the presidential election, Ma’s visits to the south gave residents new hope, which helped him win by a landslide. However, since he was elected, he has not shown any concern for southerners.

Many media outlets are surprised at the south’s seemingly blind support for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). But when we look at how Chen treated residents in the south compared with the way Ma treats them, it is easy to understand why.

With so many southern voters losing their trust in Ma, it is natural for them to compare him to his predecessor. Since Ma cannot replace Chen in their eyes, how can we criticize this attitude?

Ma seems to be drifting further away from southern voters. He has not only failed to show concern for residents in the south, but also ignored issues raised by local politicians. All of this has disappointed many of his supporters.

We can see this change in the way many Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) or independent candidates tried their best to associate themselves with Ma during the legislative elections, but have now started distancing themselves from him. If Ma continues on this path, the political landscape that has been so difficult to put together may gradually fall apart.

Moreover, while Ma took the initiative to get closer to people in the south prior to the presidential election, he doesn’t give them any chance to voice their concerns now.

To address these discrepancies and changes in Ma’s attitude, southerners have taken to the streets and plan many more street protests in Taipei — all of which are meant to pressure Ma into listening to them.

We feel sad about this state of affairs. After all, this is not only a matter of political interest, but also a reflection of overall public disapproval. The problem of ineffective politicians can be solved, but we have yet to see any sincere effort on the government’s part to change.

It is true that Ma’s approval ratings have slipped and that he has tried to regain public support by proposing many measures, including a government plan to issue consumer vouchers to every citizen and a policy to reduce unemployment. However, if he had visited the south in person more frequently, he might not have had such a hard time.

Even if Chen is accused of corruption, many people continue to support him. On the other hand, even though Ma works hard to govern the country, his approval ratings are falling. Does Ma understand the reason for this?

Li Kuan-long is a lecturer at Shih Chien University in Kaohsiung.