The Presidential Office remains cautious about the US government's reaction to Taiwan's referendum plan, in the aftermath of President Chen Shui-bian (
"We believe that the March 20 referendum plan will no longer be a problem between the two countries, and we hope the US understands Chen's commitment," said a source from the Presidential Office.
He said Chen pledged to draft a new constitution and carry out his policies without changing the status quo, and the wording is more serious than the "five noes" Chen proposed in his inauguration speech in 2000.
During a pre-recorded TV speech broadcast on Friday night, Chen announced the content of his "peace referendum" plan and assured the international community that he would fully abide by maintaining the status quo in Taiwan.
"If I assume this office as the 11th president of the Republic of China, I will continue to strive to the fullest of my abilities to maintain the status quo and ensure the sovereignty, dignity and security of our country," Chen said.
"On the basis of maintaining the status quo, I will continue the proposed re-engineering of our Constitution," he said.
A senior official at the Presidential Office told the Taipei Times that, so far, the US has merely reiterated its goodwill toward Taiwan.
He said that Taipei understands that Washington would not remark on Taiwan's referendum development before this weekend, so the Presidential Office could not comment on the issue or evaluate possible developments in the relationship between the US and Taiwan.
"Presently, any interpretation or over-optimism would be inappropriate, and these are basic manners with which to treat a friend," said the official, who was involved in the decision-making.
He disclosed that there were only a few presidential aides involved in the decision-making process when the wording of the two topics was finalized last week.
He said the presidential campaign team announced the topics before the Lunar New Year holiday so as to avoid a lingering atmosphere of "uncertainty" throughout the nation, which may affect the DPP's campaign activities.
"We originally planned to announce it at the opening ceremony of the DPP presidential campaign headquarters Saturday morning. But since it is `Taiwan's leader' that [US] President [George W.] Bush referred to, we wanted Chen to make this announcement as the nation's leader, rather than a presidential candidate," he said.
According to the official, an English translation of Chen's speech was given to the US government an hour before the broadcast.
As soon as the referendum topics were announced, US Secretary of State Colin Powell and a White House spokesman responded positively, but Presidential Office Secretary General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) has remained low-key and reiterating that the office needed to be cautious about the US' remarks.
Meanwhile, in an interview on Formosa Television yesterday evening, President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said he did add such a comment to the speech, which showed his sincerity and effort in handling cross-strait relations.
Chen also said that the call for referendum was made under a framework of peace and security -- aimed at avoiding war and freeing the people of Taiwan from fear of the threat of missiles.
It [the referendum question] is not [aimed at] an arms race but to ensure the people's security," Chen said. "This is our way of protecting ourselves. We can only negotiate with China in a state of confidence and security."
"A referendum is a chip that Taiwan, as a sovereign state, has to possess. It cannot be replaced by any poll or other legislative organizations," he said.
additional reporting by Jewel Huang
CREDIT-GRABBER: China said its coast guard rescued the crew of a fishing vessel that caught fire, who were actually rescued by a nearby Taiwanese boat and the CGA Maritime search and rescue operations do not have borders, and China should not use a shipwreck to infringe upon Taiwanese sovereignty, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The coast guard made the statement in response to the China Coast Guard (CCG) saying it saved a Taiwanese fishing boat. The Chuan Yu No. 6 (全漁6號), a fishing vessel registered in Keelung, on Thursday caught fire and sank in waters northeast of Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台). The vessel left Keelung’s Badouzih Fishing Harbor (八斗子漁港) at 3:35pm on Sunday last week, with seven people on board — a 62-year-old Taiwanese captain surnamed Chang (張) and six
RISKY BUSINESS: The ‘incentives’ include initiatives that get suspended for no reason, creating uncertainty and resulting in considerable losses for Taiwanese, the MAC said China’s “incentives” failed to sway sentiment in Taiwan, as willingness to work in China hit a record low of 1.6 percent, a Ministry of Labor survey showed. The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) also reported that the number of Taiwanese workers in China has nearly halved from a peak of 430,000 in 2012 to an estimated 231,000 in 2024. That marked a new low in the proportion of Taiwanese going abroad to work. The ministry’s annual survey on “Labor Life and Employment Status” includes questions respondents’ willingness to seek employment overseas. Willingness to work in China has steadily declined from
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
RSS