THOUSANDS OF TAIWANESE DEMAND REFERENDUM ON INDEPENDENCE
TAIPEI— Thousands of Taiwan independence activists rallied in Taipei on Saturday to protest Beijing’s “bullying” and demand a referendum on independence from China.
The rally, one of the largest in Taiwan this year, was organized by a group called Formosa Alliance founded six months ago, and the protesters gathered near the headquarters of President Tsai Ing-wen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
10,000 participants
Kenny Chung, a spokesperson for Formosa Alliance, described the turnout as “very successful” with estimates of as much as 10,000 people attending the event in Kaohsiung.
Relations with Beijing have deteriorated since Tsai came into office in 2016, with China suspecting that she wants to push for formal independence, a red line for Beijing.
China views Taiwan as a wayward province and has never renounced the use of force to bring democratic Taiwan under its control.
This year, China increased military and diplomatic pressure, conducting air and sea military exercises around the island and persuading three of the few governments still supporting Taiwan to drop their backing.
Protesters said Tsai’s government should push back against Beijing, and advocated a referendum on independence to avoid being “swallowed up.”
Some carried placards bearing the message: “No more bullying; no more annexation.”
The next presidential election is not due until 2020, but the ruling DPP will draw some indication of support from islandwide local elections that are set to take place in late November.
Beijing has already been irked by the Taiwanese government’s approval for a referendum next month to decide whether to enter future Olympics events as “Taiwan” rather than “Chinese Taipei,” the name agreed under a compromise struck in the late 1970s.
Keeping the status quo
Though the DPP is traditionally independence-leaning, Tsai has said she wants to maintain the status quo with China.
But that has not prevented the deterioration of ties since she took office in 2016, as she refuses to recognize that Taiwan is part of “one China.”
Beijing has made a multipronged attack to erase Taiwan from the international stage, including blocking it from forums and poaching its dwindling diplomatic allies.—