Anger in Canada over Taiwan provocations

Chinese community lifted by Beijing response in defense of sovereignty

Chinese Canadians have become alarmed by Western provocations involving China's Taiwan region and have expressed their support for the country's efforts to defend its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Their concerns were fueled by the visit to the island this month of US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and leaders in Canada's Chinese community have condemned Pelosi's trip along with other actions that encourage separatism and so-called "Taiwan independence".

The community leaders have also expressed their support for the Chinese government's publication of a white paper on the Taiwan question and the measures taken in response to the US lawmaker's trip.

The Taiwan visit has stirred up regional tensions and caused a crisis in cross-Straits relations, said Ping Tan, a Canadian lawyer and chairman of Chinese Canadians for China's Reunification, or CCCR. It was a typical two-faced action by the United States aimed at eroding the one-China principle, Tan said.

"We have much concern about the consequences of Pelosi's visit to Taiwan," Tan said at a symposium on Wednesday.

"We firmly support the Chinese government's responses to the Taiwan question. In particular, China's military exercises have not only curbed the arrogance of Taiwan independence but also boosted the confidence of overseas Chinese."

The white paper released on Aug 10, titled "The Taiwan Question and China's Reunification in the New Era", followed a massive military exercise around the island in response to Pelosi's visit.

The document reiterates that Taiwan is part of China, and demonstrates the resolve of the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people and their commitment to national reunification while emphasizing the policies of the CPC and the Chinese government in the new era.

Tan said the white paper clearly indicates the general strategy and direction for promoting China's reunification, and it will help overseas Chinese to engage in anti-independence efforts and promote reunification.

"We hope to see Taiwan return to its motherland to realize the complete reunification of China's territory, and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation," Tan said.

David Choi, national executive chair of the National Congress of Chinese Canadians, said: "The overwhelming vast majority of the 60 million overseas Chinese, including some 1.8 million in Canada, would be disgusted if Taiwan is used as a pawn for conflict, or for proxy war, between superpowers."

Choi said overseas Chinese would like to see the US and the handful of countries that act as its cheerleaders to back off from their efforts to disrupt peace and alter the status quo in the Taiwan Straits with their provocations against China.

Choi said it's appalling that a handful of Western lawmakers are whipping up trouble to serve their own egos and self-serving purposes.

Dai Guofen, a Taiwan businessman and honorary chairman of the CCCR, said he has fielded many phone calls from people in Taiwan since Pelosi's visit. Their message is that "they are willing to talk (instead of risk war)", he told the forum.

At the event, Dai spoke of the 5Ps－pride, persistence, precaution, promise and power－to counter the provocation of the Pelosi visit. "The first is the pride of our Chinese nation," Dai said.

After the Pelosi trip, the G7 group of industrialized nations and the European Union issued a statement full of accusations against China. In response, China's representative to the EU said that today's China is not the China in the era of the Eight-Power Allied Forces, and the world today is not the age of hegemony run by imperialist powers.

"From here, we can see the strength and self-esteem of our nation, and there will be no more humiliations like the Opium War and the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression," Dai said.

As for precaution, the PLA's military exercise was a warning to Taiwan separatist elements, Dai said.

"The fourth is promise. It can be seen from the white paper that the Chinese mainland has offered Taiwan leaders a lot of promises for peace talks before, but Tsai Ingwen missed the opportunity," said Dai, referring to the leader of the island's so-called government.

"The last one is power. Weak countries have no diplomacy. China was humiliated when national treasures of Yuanmingyuan (Old Summer Palace) were robbed by the Western imperialists. As a Taiwan compatriot, I am proud of China's strength, and I will try my best to seek reunification," Dai said.

renali@chinadailyusa.com