Referendum fails
Taiwan's first ever referendum has failed, with only 45 percent turnout for both questions. The first question, which asks voters whether Taiwan should beef up its missile defense in the face of Chinese ballistic missile deployments, received 7.45 million votes, or 45.17 percent of all eligible voters. The second question, which asks whether Taiwan should start negotiations with China, received 7.44 million votes, or 45.12 percent of all eligible voters.
In his victory speech, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said the referendum was a major step forward for Taiwan's democracy. Because it was the country's first ever referendum, Chen said, some Taiwanese people did not understand its significance. Chen also added that his government would pay attention to the people's voice expressed in the referendum by strengthening Taiwan's national defense and pursuing peace negotiations with China.
Chen also asked China take a positive view of the Taiwanese people's choice in the election and referendum. Chen asked China to remove its ballistic missiles aimed at Taiwan and open the door to dialogue and cross-strait stability.
Before the election, Minister of National Defense Tang Yiau-ming (湯曜明) said the referendum results will not affect arms purchases from the US.
Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) also emphasized that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) government would not abandon any opportunity to negotiate with China, and that Chen election victory would
mean China must sit down with Chen at the negotiation table in the next four years.
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
SOUTH CHINA SEA? The Philippine president spoke of adding more classrooms and power plants, while skipping tensions with China over disputed areas Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday blasted “useless and crumbling” flood control projects in a state of the nation address that focused on domestic issues after a months-long feud with his vice president. Addressing a joint session of congress after days of rain that left at least 31 dead, Marcos repeated his recent warning that the nation faced a climate change-driven “new normal,” while pledging to investigate publicly funded projects that had failed. “Let’s not pretend, the people know that these projects can breed corruption. Kickbacks ... for the boys,” he said, citing houses that were “swept away” by the floods. “Someone has
‘CRUDE’: The potential countermeasure is in response to South Africa renaming Taiwan’s representative offices and the insistence that it move out of Pretoria Taiwan is considering banning exports of semiconductors to South Africa after the latter unilaterally downgraded and changed the names of Taiwan’s two representative offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. On Monday last week, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation unilaterally released a statement saying that, as of April 1, the Taipei Liaison Offices in Pretoria and Cape Town had been renamed the “Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg” and the “Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town.” Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, it said that South Africa “recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole
RSS