Sovereignty spat spills to film festival

491 Views 21 Replies 6 Participants Last post by kalifese, Oct 27, 2010

kalifese

Discussion Starter · Oct 25, 2010 (Edited)

Sovereignty spat spills to film festival

HOW ‘RUDE’oliticians across party lines condemned a Chinese delegation’s move to boycott the Tokyo Film Festival if the Taiwanese delegation didn’t add ‘China’ to its name

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2010/10/25/2003486837

A-list movie stars about to make a grand entrance at the prestigious Tokyo International Film Festival became the latest victims of turbulent cross-strait relations on Saturday after both the Taiwanese and Chinese delegations missed the star--studded ceremony amid a spat over names.

Despite spending days preparing for the 11-day event, Taiwanese actors and actresses failed to reach the eco-friendly “green carpet” after a Chinese delegation insisted that the Taiwanese group add the word “China” to their country’s name.

“Taiwan, China” or “Chinese Taipei” were the only titles the head of the Chinese delegation, Jiang Ping (江平), said he would accept, threatening to boycott the festival if the change wasn’t made.

many countries around the world - including taiwan - already have increasing animosity towards china/chinese because of their conceited, aggressive attitude and bullying tactics in regards to economic issues, trade, territorial disputes, etc. chinese sure aren't making themselves liked by anybody!!!

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nemu

· #2 · Oct 25, 2010 (Edited)

hno:

hno::nuts:

ukiyo

· #3 · Oct 25, 2010

What's happening in the video? Who is talking to?

Taiwan gov't, politicians slam China's behavior at Tokyo film festival

TAIPEI —
Taiwan’s government and legislators on Monday denounced the ‘‘rude’’ behavior of China’s delegation to a Tokyo film festival after it engaged in a shouting match with the Taiwanese delegation over use of the name ‘‘Taiwan.’‘
The face-off on Saturday, the start of the nine-day Tokyo International Film Festival, was triggered by Chinese delegation head Jiang Ping’s demand that the name ‘‘Taiwan’’ be replaced by ‘‘China Taiwan’’ or ‘‘Chinese Taipei’’ and his claim that the Taiwanese were part of the Chinese delegation.

An ensuing argument between Jiang, deputy president of China Film Group Corp, and Chen Chih-kuan, head of the Taiwanese government’s Department of Motion Pictures, resulted in both delegations missing their presentation to the media and fans.

Since Sunday, Taiwan government officials and legislators have been attacking the Chinese delegation’s behavior, with Premier Wu Den-yih calling it ‘‘rude’’ and ‘‘improper.’‘
The Chinese delegation ‘‘made a serious mistake, reverting to the rudeness and irrationality of the past,’’ he said.

Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang said the Chinese delegation’s behavior ‘‘seriously hurt the feelings of the Taiwanese people and did not benefit the peaceful development of cross-strait relations,’’ which have improved under President Ma Ying-jeou.

Chao Chien-min, deputy minister of Taiwan’s China-policy organ, the Mainland Affairs Council, called it ‘‘unfriendly and unwise.’‘

Beijing’s initial response Monday to Taiwan’s displeasure was somewhat conciliatory.

Sun Yafu, deputy director of the State Council’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said he was not fully aware of the incident.

He added that cross-strait exchanges ‘‘cannot be stopped; the door that has been opened cannot be closed,’’ Taiwan’s semiofficial Central News Agency reported from Beijing.

But Taiwan’s opposition Democratic Progressive Party has pounced on the incident to attack Ma’s policy of detente with China, saying China’s aggression toward Taiwan in international settings has not changed.

DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei said the government should consider suspending all agreements and future negotiations with China, including a limited free-trade agreement signed in June.

Chinese officials have frequently intervened in non-government activities such as sports events and cultural festivals in which the word ‘‘Taiwan’’ is used, maintaining the claim that Taiwan is Chinese territory and opposing any suggestion that Taiwan is a sovereign state.

The tear-stained face of one of the affected Taiwanese actresses, Vivian Hsu, appeared prominently Monday in Taiwanese newspapers and cable TV news channels.

Commentaries and letters in ordinarily China-friendly newspapers warned Monday of damage to the cross-strait relationship.

Nobushige Toshima, secretary general of the film festival, which is being held through next Sunday, said the delegations of both China and Taiwan resumed participation on Sunday, and the festival has proceeded as scheduled.
‘‘A film festival is a cultural event, so that kind of (political) activity is mortifying,’’ Toshima said.

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Pangu

· #4 · Oct 25, 2010

NihonKitty said:
What's happening in the video? Who is talking to?

The mainland Chinese delegation demanded for the Taiwanese delegation to change their name to either "China Taiwan" or "Chinese Taipei". The Taiwanese delegation refused. The Chinese delegation threatened that the refusal may hurt the cross-strait relationship. This argument took over two hours and caused actors and actresses from both mainland China and Taiwan to miss their walk on the "green carpet". In the end, the reporter mentioned in the past, Taiwan has always attended the Tokyo film festival as "Taiwan". The reporter assumed that such strong demand coming from China this year may have to do with the recent conflict between China and Japan regarding Diaoyu/Senkaku Island.

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pierre-laurent

· #5 · Oct 25, 2010

nemu said:
hno:hno::nuts:

i'm really angry against such a childish, rude and uncivil chinese representative! what do they want? why do they absolutly wanna ruin such a cultural event?? where is their so called indissoluble brotherhood toward taiwanese people? they only are a bunch of hypocrites and liars!:bash:

btw, Chen Chih-kuan is a brave and examplary taiwan civil servant! good, well done!

kay:

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ukiyo

· #6 · Oct 25, 2010

Pangu said:
The mainland Chinese delegation demanded for the Taiwanese delegation to change their name to either "China Taiwan" or "Chinese Taipei". The Taiwanese delegation refused. The Chinese delegation threatened that the refusal may hurt the cross-strait relationship. This argument took over two hours and caused actors and actresses from both mainland China and Taiwan to miss their walk on the "green carpet". In the end, the reporter mentioned in the past, Taiwan has always attended the Tokyo film festival as "Taiwan". The reporter assumed that such strong demand coming from China this year may have to do with the recent conflict between China and Japan regarding Diaoyu/Senkaku Island.

The Taiwanese I am assuming is the man on the right side with the glasses?

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pierre-laurent

· #7 · Oct 25, 2010

NihonKitty said:
The Taiwanese I am assuming is the man on the right side with the glasses?

yes! a brave and respectable taiwanese officer!

ukiyo

· #8 · Oct 25, 2010 (Edited)

Is it just me or PRC seems to be over reacting alot nowadays?

Pangu

· #9 · Oct 25, 2010

NihonKitty said:
Is it just me or PRC seems to be over reacting alot nowadays?

It depends on each individual's person view.

For example, one might think it's "overreacting" to get upset over showing your god's face, but it may be justifiable to a Muslim.

From PRC's point of view, Taiwan being represented as anything but "China Taiwan" or "Chinese Taipei" is a challenge to PRC, so it's understandable why they are upset. With that said, whether Jiang Ping's statements and behavior is justifiable or not is a whole different topic.

My initial thought was that Jiang Ping should've talked to the Taiwanese delegation in private as to not to cause a circus. But then again, he may not personally care about this issue and was just worried about his job. If he went back to China after the film festival, his superiors would not have been happy. So naturally he had to say or do something and make it public in order for it to be known.

Bottom line is, there are always two sides to a coin and there is no need to indiscriminately hate 1.3 billion people due to the action of one individual.

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ukiyo

· #10 · Oct 25, 2010

I agree with what you have to say except the last sentence. By PRC that/I means officials and government personnel. They should set an example for the rest of the people on how to act diplomatically and politely. That's just my opinion.

Pangu

· #11 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

NihonKitty said:
I agree with what you have to say except the last sentence. By PRC that/I means officials and government personnel. They should set an example for the rest of the people on how to act diplomatically and politely. That's just my opinion.

My last sentence wasn't directed at anyone specific

It's just too often people would condemn a whole ethnic group, nation or even race because of the acts of a few individuals.

I do agree that politicians should (ideally) behave as role models. However, I personally have given up on looking to politicians for answers, no matter where in the world.

---

While I'm not defending Jiang Ping (so please put your pitchforks and flame torches away), I believe it's unfair to accuse him of bringing politics into a cultural event. Bringing politics into a non-political event is hardly something new. There were many people who protested against China before and during the Beijing Olympics, which was supposed to be a non-political event. How about those who protested against the mosque being built near ground zero in New York? Point is, politics is all around us, it's difficult, if not impossible, to separate politics from everything else, and we are all guilty of it. Just look at SSC, it's supposed to be a forum about skyscrapers and urban development, but just look at how many threads there are about politics, including this one.

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ukiyo

· #12 · Oct 26, 2010

I don't think talking about politics is bad, just how you do it (politely or not). A simple change of tone can do alot of good. "Hard" stances usually just push people away from you.

mrtdude5

· #13 · Oct 26, 2010

Just when China seems to get a little better, they screw up their reputation for me and prove me wrong every time. I shake my head in dismay yet once again, China...

All right, I'll admit it - even though I often like ranting and raving about these types of things, I don't know a whole hell of a lot about politics, but I do know - through common sense - how a mature adult should be acting, and Jiang Ping has clearly shown that he lacks that skill. He should seriously know better than to bring up this kind of tension, pressure, and generally, irrelevant issues into what was supposed to be an enjoyable international event.

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Pangu

· #14 · Oct 26, 2010

NihonKitty said:
I don't think talking about politics is bad, just how you do it (politely or not). A simple change of tone can do alot of good. "Hard" stances usually just push people away from you.

I agree.

Kind of like when Bush said "You're either with us or against us."

But the point of my statement was that people criticized him for "bringing politics to a cultural event", period, not whether he did it "right" or "wrong".

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pierre-laurent

· #15 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

Pangu said:
I agree.

Kind of like when Bush said "You're either with us or against us."

But the point of my statement was that people criticized him for "bringing politics to a cultural event", period, not whether he did it "right" or "wrong".

ok, i think we don't disagree on this point . but then why during the olympic games, chinese authorities also said "let sports to sports, and politics to politics". and why nowadays, they allow the politics get into a cultural event?

and pangu...i can understand your attachment to china, i don't judge you. but do you really believe that jiang ping's behaviour is isolated and individuel??? come on...

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Pangu

· #16 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

pierre-laurent said:
ok, i think we don't disagree on this point . but then why during the olylpc games, chinese authorities also said "let sports to sports, and politics to politics". and why nowadays, they allow the politics get into a cultural event?

Because everyone is a hypocrite

pierre-laurent said:
and pangu...i can understand your attachment to china, i don't judge you. but do you really believe that jiang ping's behaviour is isolated and individuel??? come on...

It has nothing to do with attachment. I am merely looking at this issue beyond the surface.

To answer your question, no I don't believe Jiang Ping's behavior is isolated. His statement and attitude reflects the official stance of the PRC. Which is also why I believe it's more likely Jiang Ping worries about his own job than truly believes that "Taiwan is part of China".

---

At the end of the day, getting angry, shouting anti-China slogans and condemning 1.3 billion people isn't constructive and won't help anyone. Any Taiwanese who is angry enough to hate China that much should pick up a gun and march across the Taiwan strait and walk the walk. Otherwise they are no better than the wealthy American politicians who condemn Mulisms all day long but are reluctant to send their own children, or even themselves, oversea to fight the wars, instead they just keep sending other people's children to die.

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pierre-laurent

· #17 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

Pangu said:
Because everyone is a hypocrite

It has nothing to do with attachment. I am merely looking at this issue beyond the surface.

To answer your question, no I don't believe Jiang Ping's behavior is isolated. His statement and attitude reflects the official stance of the PRC. Which is also why I believe it's more likely Jiang Ping worries about his own job than truly believes that "Taiwan is part of China".

---

At the end of the day, getting angry, shouting anti-China slogans and condemning 1.3 billion people isn't constructive and won't help anyone. Any Taiwanese who is angry enough to hate China that much should pick up a gun and march across the Taiwan strait and walk the walk. Otherwise they are no better than the wealthy American politicians who condemn Mulisms all day long but are reluctant to send their own children, or even themselves, oversea to fight the wars, instead they just keep sending other people's children to die.

of course there are also racist politicians in usa who condemn Mulisms all day long, but such figures are a minority, right? usa is not perfect (btw, the french often hate usa, and myself i'm not a fan of your "w" and some sides of this country...) but the president of this country is a blackman who has african muslim ascendants! it's so remarkable. that's an example even for france, england and germany! so why don't you defend usa like you do for china? ...is it more constructive to criticize a democracy who protects YOUR freedom of speech,and of conscience?? sometime, i really can't understand you...

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Pangu

· #18 · Oct 26, 2010

pierre-laurent said:
of course there are also racists politicians in usa who condemn Mulisms all day long, but such figures are a minority, right? usa is not perfect (btw, the french often hate usa...) but the president of this country is a blackman who has a african muslim ascendant! it's so remarkable. that's an example even for france, england and germany! so why don't you defend usa like you do for china? ...is it more constructive to criticize a democracy who protect YOUR freedom of speech,and of conscience?? sometime, i really can't understand you...

You're getting off course here, my friend. If you have a personal problem with me, feel free to send me a private message, lest you want to be another Jiang Ping

Just to be clear, I am not defending anyone. Just because I disagree with you it doesn't mean I must agree with the other side. Try to avoid having the "You're either with us or against us" mentality

So instead of rushing to label me as a "red commie lover", focus on the actual issue here and look beyond just the surface.

Cheers.

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pierre-laurent

· #19 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

Pangu said:
You're getting off course here, my friend. If you have a personal problem with me, feel free to send me a private message, lest you want to be another Jiang Ping

Just to be clear, I am not defending anyone. Just because I disagree with you it doesn't mean I must agree with the other side. Try to avoid having the "You're either with us or against us" mentality So instead of rushing to label me as a "red commie lover", focus on the actual issue here and look beyond just the surface.

Cheers.

no no no pangu!! it's not correct, and it's too easy. i don't have any animosity against you. this is you who label me the slogan "You're either with us or against us" and yourself as a "red commie lover"! I ALWAYS RESPECT what you are and never ask you to think like me, never, ok! but i just want to know why is it more constructive to criticize the country who protects YOUR freedom of speech,and of conscience, instead of china who doesn't do it for its people? if you don't want to respond to it...it's your freedom!

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nemu

· #20 · Oct 26, 2010 (Edited)

Pangu said:
At the end of the day, getting angry, shouting anti-China slogans and condemning 1.3 billion people isn't constructive and won't help anyone. Any Taiwanese who is angry enough to hate China that much should pick up a gun and march across the Taiwan strait and walk the walk. Otherwise they are no better than the wealthy American politicians who condemn Mulisms all day long but are reluctant to send their own children, or even themselves, oversea to fight the wars, instead they just keep sending other people's children to die.

No one is shouting slogans and condemning 1.3 billion people. Not on this forum, and I haven't seen it in the media thus far.

Anyways,why would anyone march across the strait with a gun and 'walk the talk'. Let them say whatever they want but all the same, Taiwan should continue to stand up for themselves.

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