President Chen Shui-bian (
"I will pay a visit to all opposition party leaders after the Dec. 11 elections and consult with them on various matters, such as constitutional reforms," Chen said at a campaign stop last night in Tao-yuan County, which is known for its large numbers of Hakka residents.
To mend the conflict between the central and local governments, Chen said that he would take the initiative to invite all local offi-cials, included those of the pan-blue camp, to the Presidential Office for tea after next Saturday's elections.
Chen reiterated his determination to push for a constitutional reform, to hold a referendum on a new constitution in 2006 and to have the new constitution implemented in 2008.
Winning a pan-green majority in the next legislature would boost the chances of reopening cross-strait negotiations, Chen said.
He said this would provide an opportunity for the two sides to seek and adopt concrete measures to reduce tensions across the Taiwan Strait, such as the establishment of code of conduct across the Strait and a military buffer zone to separate both sides' military activities.
Democratic reforms and economic development will also be among the task he will work with the new legislature to achieve, he said.
Telling the crowd that he knew not all the DPP supporters in Taoyuan County had been planning to support the party's candidates there, Chen urged voters to transform their moral support into action to ensure that all seven DPP candidates in the county are elected.
Among the other political heavyweights who took the stage last night to root for the seven DPP candidates were Vice President Annette Lu (
In other developments, the DPP announced earlier yesterday that the president will join the pan-green camp's parade in Taipei tomorrow in spite of the approach of Typhoon Nanmadol, which is expected to bring torrential rains over the next few days
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (
An estimated 100,000 supporters living in the north and center of the country are expected to join the parade, which will begin from Taipei's old Sungshan Tobacco Factory.
The DPP's four campaign man-agers -- party Secretary-General Chang Chun-hsiung (
Lu be at the starting point to announce the start of the parade, Lee said, and Chen will join the marchers before they arrive at Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.
More marchers will be seen on Taipei streets on Sunday as pro-independence groups and the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) are scheduled to hold a parade to promote the campaign for a new constitution and to rectify the country's official name.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has also organized a large-scale march in Taipei on Sunday to boost is legislative campaign.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS