President Chen Shui-bian (
In his speech congratulating athletes Chen Shih-hsin (
PHOTO: CNA
Chen Shih-hsin won gold in the 49kg division of women's taekwondo, while Chu won gold in the men's 58kg division. The two gold medals were the nation's first at the Olympic Games.
"The excellent performances of the taekwondo competitors in Team Taiwan ... have accomplished Taiwan's dream of winning Olympic gold," Chen said after conferring the two athletes with the Order of the Brilliant Star, Fifth Class.
It marked the first time that athletes have received the Order of the Brilliant Star.
Recalling the athletes' medal presentation ceremonies, Chen told the athletes that at that moment "every one of Taiwan's 23 million people, regardless of ethnic origin or age, felt pride at your achievement ... many were terribly emotional when you declared to the international press that you came from Taiwan."
Calling Chen Shih-hsin and Chu "heroes of the Taiwanese people," the president commended their success and said they helped enhance Taiwan's status and visibility.
"We'll work to pool resources in the public and private sectors to overcome difficulties and allow the world to recognize Taiwan's existence as a sovereign state," Chen said, adding that the medals were "only the beginning of Taiwan's quest for world recognition."
He also expressed the hope that Taiwan's Paralympic Games squad would perform well.
Chen Shui-bian's wife, Wu Shu-chen (
Wu was paralyzed after an act of political violence in 1985.
Referring to a prediction by National Council of Physical Fitness and Sports Chairman Chen Chuan-show (陳全壽) that Taiwan could take five gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, Chen Shui-bian said he hoped that the nation's gold tally could be raised to "lucky seven."
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday that China using armed force against Taiwan could constitute a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, allowing the country to mobilize the Japanese armed forces under its security laws. Takaichi made the remarks during a parliamentary session yesterday while responding to a question about whether a "Taiwan contingency" involving a Chinese naval blockade would qualify as a "survival-threatening situation" for Japan, according to a report by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun. "If warships are used and other armed actions are involved, I believe this could constitute a survival- threatening
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
RSS