Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (
Chiou was accompanied by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Ko Cheng-heng (柯承亨) and DPP legislators Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) and Chen Chung-hsin (陳忠信).
They were expected to meet with White House Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz.
The Presidential Office yesterday said little about the trip, but it is thought that Chiou will discuss the DPP government's plan to hold a referendum on or before presidential election day next year.
President Chen Shui-bian (
Although the US government has made it clear that Taiwan has to make the decision on whether to hold referendums, some officials have reportedly expressed their reservations about the plan.
Douglas Paal, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, was quoted in Chinese-language news-papers as telling Chen that the US opposed any kind of referendum because Beijing would construe them as provocative. Paal denied making the comment.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
"We think Chiou is the most appropriate person to communicate with the US," Chien said after the DPP's weekly closed-door Central Standing Committee meeting.
A foreign ministry spokesman, however, denied that Kau would also be discussing the referendum while in Washington.
Kau's trip will focus on his visit to the National Endowment for Democracy and expressing the government's gratitude for US support for Taiwan's bid to join the WHO, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦) said.
Meanwhile, Chien also confirmed that Vice President Annette Lu (
Also see story:
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
REGIONAL STABILITY: Taipei thanked the Biden administration for authorizing its 16th sale of military goods and services to uphold Taiwan’s defense and safety The US Department of State has approved the sale of US$228 million of military goods and services to Taiwan, the US Department of Defense said on Monday. The state department “made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale” to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US for “return, repair and reshipment of spare parts and related equipment,” the defense department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a news release. Taiwan had requested the purchase of items and services which include the “return, repair and reshipment of classified and unclassified spare parts for aircraft and related equipment; US Government
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from