Sunday, May 17, 2009

I most strongly condemn Associated Press' consistent lying about Taiwan

I most strongly condemn Associated Press' consistent lying about Taiwan. AP has apparently adopted a policy to lie about Taiwan no matter how the world protests. It adopted a mindless insert:
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949.
against historical facts. See for example,
Taiwan Was Never Part of China's Civil Wars: Part I and Taiwan Was Never Part of China's Civil Wars: Part II.

In the following short report by ANNIE HUANG, AP permeates the lie by heaping more lies, such as
  • "We are Taiwanese, not Chinese," the protesters chanted, underscoring their view that after six decades of separate governance, the democratic island and the communist mainland should never come together.
    No, Taiwanese have no problem of coming together with Chinese, because they were never separated.
  • It was the first large protest against Ma's policies since the Harvard-educated leader took office last May promising to boost Taiwan's sluggish economy and ditch his predecessor's pro-independence, anti-Beijing line.
    Absolutely False, 830, 1025, and 1106 were all huge protests by any standard.
  • Over the past year, Ma has worked hard to reduce tensions with China, lifting long-standing bans on regular, direct transportation links across the 100-mile (160-kilometer) -wide Taiwan Strait and relaxing controls on Taiwanese investment on the mainland.
    This is not a balanced report expected from a news agency. Reduce tension is good. Why does
    ANNIE HUANG not mention the fact that in this process of reducing tension, Taiwan has effectively become part of China?

Taiwan protest targets leader's pro-China polic

By ANNIE HUANG
The Associated Press
Sunday, May 17, 2009 7:34 AM

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Tens of thousands of anti-government demonstrators marched through downtown Taipei on Sunday to protest against President Ma Ying-jeou's policy of greater engagement with rival China, saying it could undermine the island's self-rule.

Under a sea of green flags, protesters decried Ma's plans to link Taiwan's economy more closely to China and his push for peace talks aimed at formally ending 60 years of tensions between the sides.

"We are Taiwanese, not Chinese," the protesters chanted, underscoring their view that after six decades of separate governance, the democratic island and the communist mainland should never come together.

China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949.

It was the first large protest against Ma's policies since the Harvard-educated leader took office last May promising to boost Taiwan's sluggish economy and ditch his predecessor's pro-independence, anti-Beijing line.

Police estimated the crowd at 100,000. The opposition Democratic Progressive Party, the sponsor of the demonstration, put the number at about 600,000.

"Under his pro-China policy, Ma Ying-jeou is placing Taiwan's destiny and future in the hands of the Chinese, and we will by no means accept this," DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen told the protesters.

Outside the headquarters of Ma's ruling Nationalist Party, the demonstrators set aloft a huge red balloon in the shape of a horse. The president's surname is the Chinese word for horse, and the red color was meant to signify Ma's supposed sympathies for Beijing's ruling Communist Party.

Over the past year, Ma has worked hard to reduce tensions with China, lifting long-standing bans on regular, direct transportation links across the 100-mile (160-kilometer) -wide Taiwan Strait and relaxing controls on Taiwanese investment on the mainland. His administration also plans to allow Chinese to invest and buy property in Taiwan.

The opposition says Ma's overtures weaken Taiwan's sovereignty and might even force the island to accept eventual unification with the mainland _ a charge the president denies.

Speaking to community leaders in the northern city of Hsinchu on Sunday, Ma reaffirmed his pledge not to compromise the island's sovereignty during future talks with Chinese officials.

"Any cross-strait talks will be held on the basis of parity, be mutually beneficial and meet practical needs," he said.

Sunday's protesters targeted Ma's plan to sign a trade agreement with China. The planned pact is expected to partially open Taiwanese and Chinese markets to the other side's goods and services, though in a concession to Taiwanese farmers, Chinese agricultural exports are likely to be exempted.

© 2009 The Associated Press

2 comments:

  1. i am appalled by the foreign press coverage. The BBC reporter obviously was nowhere close to the protest (or perhaps blind) given his "thousands of protester" comment.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8054127.stm

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  2. Several of us trashed this article. It is just awful.

    It was the first large protest against Ma's policies since the Harvard-educated leader took office last May promising to boost Taiwan's sluggish economy and ditch his predecessor's pro-independence, anti-Beijing line. *it was the fourth, not first protest.
    *Sluggish economy is pro-KMT propaganda, not fact
    *note that Ma is always Harvard-educated
    *Chen Shui-bian has a 'line'. Ma's rhetoric is never referred to as a line.

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