"Great Wall of Democracy": human chain formed on entire island
Taipei (AsiaNews) A 500 km human chain was formed by 1.2 million people on the island of Taiwan, extending from the Northern port of Keelong to the southern province of Pingdong.
The organizers of the "Hand-in-hand Taiwan Alliance" demonstration proposed the gesture to make people around the globe aware of the threat which 500 Chinese deployed missiles places over the island nation. The demonstration, supported by various religious leaders, was also organized to promote peace and harmony between the two countries.
The idea of a human chain was strongly desired by the current president, Chen Shuibian, in order to increase his chances of winning the upcoming March 20 presidential elections. Chen Shuibian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) believes the future of the country lays in it being independent from China. But China has always threatened to invade the "rebel" island should it declare itself an independent state.
Chen Shuibian was enthusiastic about the success of the demonstration. "I am thrilled", he said. "Together we are writing a new chapter in history. This (chain) is Taiwan's Great Wall of Democracy."
The initiative was made successful also by publicity given by former president Lee Tenghui, who in recent years has drawn ever closer to the DPP position. Previously Lee Tenghui was a member of the Kuomingtang (KMT) party which dominated Taiwanese politics until 2000.
Even Lee Tenghui believes that relations with mainland China should be like those between two sovereign states. Lee Tenghui's support of Chen risks changing voters' minds from KMT in favor of DPP, thus leading the latter to victory this March 20.
The KMT party has always supported unification with China, even if safeguarding a certain amount of autonomy for Taiwan. Since 1949 Taiwan has become a commercial "tiger" and a democratic country. China however, despite becoming a giant economy, still has a political system controlled by the Communist Party.
Business relations between the "two Chinas" indeed remain a unifying element. In 2003 direct Taiwanese investments in China amounted to 3.4 billion US dollars. In the same year, indirect commercial exchanges reached 58.4 billon US dollars, placing Taiwan among the largest investors in China. Today mainland China is home to 60,623 Chinese businesses financed by Taiwanese money, worth 70 billon dollars and 36.5 billon dollars in effective investments.
Taiwan's economic power makes China cautious in its relations with the island. Beijing has said it does "not want to influence in any way" the island's upcoming presidential elections. Yet it said it was deeply against a referendum scheduled to be voted on the very same day. The referendum, called by Chen Shuibian, will ask Taiwanese citizens what to do to defend the island, if China refuses to withdraw its missiles pointed at Taiwan and whether talks with China must be increased or not. Beyond the actual utility of the questions, the referendum risks casting China in sinister and hostile light.
.png)
22/08/2005
