In its first official response to a Pentagon report on the strength of the Chinese military, Taipei yesterday warned Beijing against coercing Taiwan into unification.
"We urge Beijing to drop the idea of using force to settle the differences between the two sides," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Katharine Chang (
Chang's statement followed a report by the Pentagon Friday in which the US questioned China's commitment to a peaceful resolution of its differences with Taiwan.
"We welcome any dialogues with the Chinese communists provided they are not held under preset terms," Chang said.
"Even political issues can be discussed as long as such dialogues are held under an equity basis," Chang said.
Beijing has refused to reopen talks with Taipei unless Taiwan accepts its "one China" principle.
Chang also warned China's fast expanding military forces "have threatened the stability in the region" and specifically targeted Taipei.
The Pentagon report warned that by a fast-growing military arms buildup, Beijing was exploring coercive strategies designed to bring Taiwan to heel quickly.
The report based its warning on China's deployment of 350 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan, the acquisition of advanced Russia-made Su-30 and Su-27 fighters, Kilo class submarines and Sovremmenny-class destroyers.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
Addressing a workshop for ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad who have returned to Taiwan for consultations, Chien said that Beijing's deployment of ballistic missiles, "Should be condemned by the international community."
Chien added that, "Disputes between nations can never be settled by means of war or any other bloody violence."
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