Taiwan has forged a "democratic alliance relationship" with the US, based on the two countries' shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights, President Chen Shui-bian (
"This is partly why US President George W. Bush, during his latest trip to East Asia, said that the US would not forget its commitment to Taiwan and that the US would adhere to the Taiwan Relations Act to provide Taiwan with necessary guarantees," Chen said during a seminar on regional economic affairs and security yesterday.
Chen said that the US pursuit of "a balanced cross-strait relationship" is in the interest of the US and is conducive to normalization of cross-strait relations.
Beijing halted talks with Taipei after former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) announced in July 1999 that cross-strait relations are "special state to state" in nature. Beijing requires Taipei to accept the "one China" principle as the precondition for a resumption of talks, a demand rejected by Chen.
The president vowed to lead Taiwan as an active partner in the US-led campaign against terrorism as part of Taipei's determination to shoulder a greater responsibility for maintaining regional security.
"As a genuine defender of the international order, Taiwan has been committing itself to joint international actions against terrorists and humanitarian aid to Afghan refugees," Chen said. "We hope the international community understands Taiwan's steadfast willingness and ability to jointly share the responsibility in securing peace, security and prosperity in the region."
In light of the upcoming change of leadership in Beijing and China's task of bringing its economy in line with WTO requirements, the world is monitoring closely whether China can accept rules dictated by an outside authority, Chen said.
"The world is also concerned with how the [new] Chinese leadership will deal with the country's relations with Taiwan in a democratic, peaceful and rational manner," the president said.
Meanwhile, Chen in his talk reiterated his determination to reform the nation's intelligence-gathering agencies in the wake of the recent scandal surrounding the National Security Bureau (NSB).
Lin Chia-lung (
"The damage has been done," Lin said of the recent media disclosure of the leaked NSB documents that detailed usage of the NSB slush funds worth NT$3.5 billion established under former president Lee Teng-hui's (
"I think the damage can be kept to a minimum," Lin said.
When asked to comment on the recent row over the NSB secret funds, former US ambassador-at-large Richard Fairbanks said the statements made by the Taiwanese government so far were "reasonable."
While each government is concerned with national security, to safeguard human rights and press freedom is also of salient concern for a democracy, Fairbanks said, adding: "balancing these is always a challenge."
What is more at stake for any government involved in scandals is "what comes after the scandal," said Fairbanks, counselor to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington-based think tank.
The center hosted yesterday's seminar together with the Chinatrust Commercial Bank (
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique