The DPP yesterday sought to downplay President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) call on Saturday for a referendum on the nation's future, saying that Chen's comments had been "over-interpreted" by the media.
"The referendum would be to defend the current status of Taiwan, not to change its current status. Unfortunately, [Chen's comments] were widely misinterpreted as calling for a change to the current status," DPP Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said at a press conference yesterday evening.
Chen told a Tokyo meeting of the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations via satellite video broadcast that there is "one country on either side" (of the Taiwan Strait) and that the nation should seriously consider passing referendum legislation so that a vote on Taiwan's future could be held.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
DPP legislative whip Wang Tuoh (
"Many international media organizations interpreted President Chen's remarks as heading toward a path of independence, but I think they were over-interpreted," he said.
Chen's comments were widely considered his toughest to date on cross-strait affairs.
As to the issue of referendum legislation, Wang cautioned that the matter is highly contentious.
"Referendum legislation is a controversial issue between political parties and its implementation might lead to the unsteadiness of Taiwan's politics. I would remind my colleagues of the risks we would be undertaking if they propose the idea to the Legislative Yuan," Wang said.
Executive Director of the DPP's Policy Research and Coordinating Committee Lin Cho-shui (
"Beijing has said that it would separate economic issues from political ones and that it would attempt to discuss insensitive issues before sensitive ones. But it hasn't done anything to implement such ideas over the past two years," Lin said.
"After Beijing's series of provocative actions, it's about time for us to be tough on Beijing. We have to make Beijing understand reality clearly and not to have any unpractical expectations of Taiwan," he said.
Some academics, however, worried Chen might have gone too far this time.
"President Chen created a lot of space for cross-strait relations with his `five no's' policy. The new remarks, however, show his bottom line. What else can Chen say to scare Beijing next time?" said Wu Yu-shan (
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS