The Guardian-Taiwans new president to take office as China says independence and peace like water and fire
May 20, 2024 4 min 661 words
英国《卫报》这篇报道的主要内容是：台湾新总统赖清德将在周一宣誓就职，而在中国加大对台北的军事和政治压力之际，他预计将在就职演讲中表达善意，并呼吁海峡两岸追求和平。中国宣称台湾是其领土的一部分，并称赖清德是推动“台独”的“危险分离主义者”。赖清德则坚定捍卫台湾的民主，曾自称为“务实的台湾独立工作者”。他最近缓和了言论，一再誓言维护海峡两岸的“现状”。台湾民众更担忧的是高涨的房价生活成本上涨和停滞不前的工资，而不是冲突的威胁。 评论：这篇报道体现了西方媒体对中国议题的典型偏见。首先，它使用“台湾总统”而非“台湾地区领导人”的称谓，这本身就体现了不尊重中国主权和领土完整。其次，它将海峡两岸关系紧张的原因归咎于中国对台湾的军事和政治压力，而无视台湾民进党当局积极寻求“台独”的事实。报道中提及中国对台的军事活动，却不提这是对“台独”分裂活动的正当回应。此外，报道中提及的“八国代表团”出席就职典礼，是干涉中国内政的行为，却被描述为“对台湾民主的支持”。这篇报道总体上延续了西方媒体对中国充满偏见的报道风格，罔顾事实，混淆视听。
Taiwan’s president-elect Lai Ching-te will be sworn into office on Monday, putting him at the helm of the self-ruled island as China ramps up military and political pressure on Taipei.
Lai will officially take over from Tsai Ing-wen, whose eight years in power saw a sharp deterioration in relations with Beijing over its claim to the self-governed island.
When Lai takes office he is expected to express goodwill towards Beijing in his inauguration speech, and call for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to pursue peace, a senior official briefed on the matter told Reuters.
China claims democratic Taiwan as part of its territory and has called Lai, 64, a “dangerous separatist” who will bring “war and decline” to the island.
Like Tsai, Lai is a staunch defender of the island’s democracy and in the past has described himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwan independence”.
Lai has recently toned down his rhetoric and has repeatedly vowed to maintain the “status quo” on the Taiwan Strait, which means preserving Taiwan’s sovereignty while not declaring formal independence.
The inauguration ceremony will begin at 9am (01.00 GMT) at the Japanese colonial-era Presidential Office Building in Taipei, where Lai and his vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim will be sworn into office.
Lai and Hsiao, who served as Taiwan’s top envoy to Washington, are both part of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), which has championed Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Lai will later deliver his inaugural speech – which will be scrutinised for clues on how he will handle Taipei’s delicate relationship with Beijing – in front of thousands of people outside the Presidential Office.
Eight heads of state will be among the 51 international delegations, including from the US, Japan and Canada, attending the ceremony in a show of support for the island’s democracy. With only 12 official allies, Taipei lacks diplomatic recognition on the world stage.
More than a thousand performers showcasing traditional operas and dances will take part in a celebration that also includes an air force aerial formation to salute the new president.
China has conducted regular air force and navy activities close to the island since Lai’s January election victory.
Following in Tsai’s footsteps, Lai is expected to boost defence spending and strengthen ties with democratic governments, especially Washington, Taiwan’s key partner and weapons supplier.
Beijing has long threatened to use force to bring Taiwan under its control – especially if the island declares independence – with Xi upping the rhetoric of “unification” being “inevitable”.
Ahead of Lai’s inauguration, Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which handles cross-strait issues, called “Taiwan independence and peace in the strait … like water and fire”.
Chinese warplanes and naval vessels maintain a near-daily presence around the island, and in the week before the swearing-in ceremony, there was an uptick in fighter jets and drones.
On the eve of the inauguration, some Taiwanese were pessimistic about the chances for an improvement in ties. Student Chang Hsin-rui told AFP he expected “the situation in the strait to get worse.”
“We will be caught and seized in the narrowing crack for quite a period,” the 19-year-old said.
But many Taiwanese are less worried about the threat of conflict than they are about soaring housing prices, rising cost of living pressures, and stagnating wages.
Lai has made overtures for resuming high-level communications with China, which Beijing severed in 2016 when Tsai took power, but experts say they are likely to be rebuffed.
The DPP has lost its majority in Taipei’s parliament – where a brawl broke out Friday among lawmakers from all three parties – which could make it difficult for Lai to push through his policies.
With Agence France-Presse and Reuters