8 quotes found
"I am more than seventy years old. Having lived under different regimes, from Japanese colonialism to Taiwan’s recovery, I have greatly experienced the miseries of the Taiwanese people. In the period of Japanese colonialism, a Taiwanese would be punished by being forced to kneel out in the sun for speaking Tai-yü. The situation was the same when Taiwan was recovered: my son, Hsien-wen, and my daughter-in-law, Yüeh-yün, often wore a dunce board around their necks in the school as punishment for speaking Tai-yü... [Taiwanese peoples’] lives are influenced by history. I think the most miserable people are Taiwanese, who have always tried in vain to get their heads above the water. This was the Taiwanese situation during the period of colonialism; it was not any different after Taiwan’s recovery [that is, the rule of the Chiang-era KMT]. I have deep feelings about this."
"Don't think that because many Taiwanese came from China, Taiwan is a part of China."
"I would like to express my regret for the harms and wounds that once existed in this island of Taiwan. I also want to extend my apologies to those afflicted with such long-standing and agonizing pains. We must not forget how many families were torn up and how their emotional sufferings have been passed down from generation to generation. I can now relate to such pains. My apology is long overdue."
"Cooperation is not a merger. There's no need to crush oneself to accommodate others."
"The appointment (as special envoy to APEC 2016) fills me with a deep sense of responsibility. It is a mission rather than a job. This mission is not about personal glory, but the entrustment of a responsibility to present to the international community the achievements Taiwan has made in the past decades."
"I believe that the peaceful development of cross-strait ties will continue to be deepened and institutionalized."
"One China; peace on both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait; mutually beneficial integration; strive for a Chinese revival."
"Both of our (Mainland China and Taiwan) legal and governance systems were built following the 'one China' structure. That is why Cross-Strait relations are not state-to-state relations and there is no room for Taiwanese independence."