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Taiwan's ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments

Taiwan's ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments

Beijing has rolled out the red carpet for
Ma Ying-jeou , the first former Taiwanese leader to take part in the Straits Forum, the 17th edition of which opened in Fujian province on Sunday.
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But back home, Ma is facing a fierce backlash from pro-independence politicians and critics, who accuse the former Kuomintang chairman of 'dancing with Beijing' to undermine Taiwan's political standing.
The annual cross-strait forum is branded by Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a centrepiece of Beijing's '
united front ' operations, which aim to extend the Communist Party's influence and control beyond mainland China. Ma's comments at the latest event have further intensified those accusations.
03:23
Taiwan leader William Lai says Beijing has no authority over island in Double Tenth speech
Taiwan leader William Lai says Beijing has no authority over island in Double Tenth speech
Addressing the forum's opening ceremony in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Ma reiterated that only by adhering to the '1992 consensus' and opposing Taiwan independence could both sides of the Taiwan Strait achieve a peaceful and positive outcome.
The '1992 consensus', a mutual understanding that there is only 'one China', was reached when the KMT was in power in Taipei.
Ma's remarks were echoed by
Wang Huning – Beijing's No 4 official and a member of the Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee.
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Taiwan's ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments
Taiwan's ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments

South China Morning Post

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Taiwan's ruling DPP slams former leader Ma Ying-jeou over Straits Forum comments

Beijing has rolled out the red carpet for Ma Ying-jeou , the first former Taiwanese leader to take part in the Straits Forum, the 17th edition of which opened in Fujian province on Sunday. Advertisement But back home, Ma is facing a fierce backlash from pro-independence politicians and critics, who accuse the former Kuomintang chairman of 'dancing with Beijing' to undermine Taiwan's political standing. The annual cross-strait forum is branded by Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as a centrepiece of Beijing's ' united front ' operations, which aim to extend the Communist Party's influence and control beyond mainland China. Ma's comments at the latest event have further intensified those accusations. 03:23 Taiwan leader William Lai says Beijing has no authority over island in Double Tenth speech Taiwan leader William Lai says Beijing has no authority over island in Double Tenth speech Addressing the forum's opening ceremony in the southeastern city of Xiamen, Ma reiterated that only by adhering to the '1992 consensus' and opposing Taiwan independence could both sides of the Taiwan Strait achieve a peaceful and positive outcome. The '1992 consensus', a mutual understanding that there is only 'one China', was reached when the KMT was in power in Taipei. Ma's remarks were echoed by Wang Huning – Beijing's No 4 official and a member of the Communist Party's all-powerful Politburo Standing Committee. Advertisement

Can the island chain strategy contain China's blue-water naval ambitions?
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Can the island chain strategy contain China's blue-water naval ambitions?

China's navy is pushing past the strategic island chains that for decades have marked defensive boundaries for the United States and its allies in the Western Pacific. The deployment of two Chinese aircraft carrier groups in the open waters of the Pacific Ocean since late May has underscored a critical advance in Beijing's ambitions to become a blue-water navy by 2035. The Liaoning and Shandong have been on a routine training exercise to test their 'far-sea defences and joint operational capabilities', according to the PLA Navy. Notably, it is the first time a Chinese carrier has sailed beyond the second island chain. What is the island chain strategy? The strategy was proposed in 1951 by the then US secretary of state John Foster Dulles, as a way of using American-aligned island bases to contain the communist Soviet Union and China in the Western Pacific. Taiwan – famously described in 1950 by General Douglas MacArthur as an 'unsinkable aircraft carrier' – was pivotal to the concept. While the strategy became less prominent after the Cold War, it re-emerged strongly post-1991 as a way to counter a rising Beijing. The first island chain runs along East Asia's coastline, from the Kuril Islands through Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines down to Borneo. This marks the Chinese mainland's near seas from the wider Pacific. The second island chain is further east and includes the major US base at Guam. It extends through the Marianas to Palau and New Guinea.

Hongkongers ‘vote with their feet' by spending weekends, holidays in mainland China, city's No. 2 official says
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time11 hours ago

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Hongkongers ‘vote with their feet' by spending weekends, holidays in mainland China, city's No. 2 official says

The trend of Hongkongers spending weekends and holidays in mainland China reflects their recognition of its development, Hong Kong's second-highest official has said. People in Hong Kong 'vote with their feet' by travelling to mainland China for lower-priced goods and services, Chief Secretary Eric Chan said in an interview with the Beijing-backed newspaper Wen Wei Po published on Monday. Chan was referring to the growing number of Hong Kong residents who travel to neighbouring mainland Chinese cities for weekends and holidays since the city lifted its Covid-19 restrictions and reopened its border in February 2023. During the four-day Easter holidays in April, around 1.86 million Hong Kong residents left the city, with around 1.6 million heading to mainland China, according to the Immigration Department. In the interview, Chan said that understanding and identifying with the country were key to preventing future political turmoil, such as the 2019 anti-extradition bill protests and unrest. Some Hong Kong residents had been 'misled by toxic media outlets' during the protests and felt dissatisfied with mainland China, Chan claimed. He added that some young people did not even have a Home Return Permit, a document that allows Hong Kong and Macau residents to travel to the mainland. The rising number of Hongkongers visiting mainland China shows they are recognising its development, Chan said 'This is just like how many citizens, after realising the good quality and low prices in the mainland, enjoy going north to shop during holidays,' Chan said. 'It all begins with recognising the country's development – only then do they 'vote with their feet' and understand how to show their support,' he added. Although Hong Kong enacted its domestic security law – commonly known as Article 23 – in March last year, Chan said the city still needed to strengthen its efforts in patriotic education. The government fosters national security awareness through four steps, namely 'understanding the country,' 'identifying with the country,' 'caring for the country,' and 'consciously safeguarding national security,' he said. The authorities will 'enhance the attractiveness of national security education' by using multimedia in exhibitions, the chief secretary also said. He added that the government would organise more than 100 celebratory activities across the city to mark five years since the national security law was enacted and the 28th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to Chinese rule. Separate from the 2020 Beijing-enacted security law, the homegrown Safeguarding National Security Ordinance targets treason, insurrection, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-charge detention of up to 16 days, and suspects' access to lawyers may be restricted, with penalties involving up to life in prison. Article 23 was shelved in 2003 amid mass protests, remaining taboo for years. But, on March 23, 2024, it was enacted having been fast-tracked and unanimously approved at the city's opposition-free legislature. The law has been criticised by rights NGOs, Western states and the UN as vague, broad and 'regressive.' Authorities, however, cited perceived foreign interference and a constitutional duty to 'close loopholes' after the 2019 protests and unrest.

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