Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the NDP caucus, I would like to say today that we deplore the intimidating tactics being employed by China off the coast of Taiwan. Why is it that superpowers cannot resist the urge to act the bully when it comes to small islands in their so-called sphere of influence.
The People's Republic of China should give up the notion that Taiwan is somehow part of China. Let China be China and let Taiwan be Taiwan. The Taiwanese people, including its aboriginal population, have a history and identity that is independent and distinct from the mainland. Any dispute of this fact must be resolved peacefully and with utmost respect for the democratically expressed wishes of the Taiwanese people.
It is time for China to put the political residue of the civil war behind it and realize that Taiwan, especially now that it is a democracy, is a country of its own and should no longer be seen as a refuge for the losers of a bygone battle.