President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday stood by his pledge to change the names of all relevant government agencies to "Taiwan" to avoid confusing the international community.
Chen made the remarks last night while stumping for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative candidates at a campaign rally in Miaoli County.
PHOTO: TSAI CHANG-SHENG, TAIPEI TIMES
He said that apart from government agencies based in countries that recognize Taiwan, where the national designation will remain "Republic of China," all agencies will change the country's name to "Taiwan" to emphasize the distinction between Taiwan and China.
During a speech endorsing candidates running in the county, Chen told the crowd he would be a lame-duck president if the pan-green camp was not able to control the legislature. He said Taiwan could no longer afford to engage in "social chaos" and allow "one or a couple of persons' hatred exhaust the nation" and prevent it from making any progress.
"On March 20, you gave me a chance with a second term in office. To allow me to do my work as president, I appeal to you for your support and to give me a clear pan-green majority in the new legislature so that I can deliver the promises I made during my re-election campaign," Chen said.
He urged voters to use their ballots on Saturday "to give Taiwan a chance for love, a chance for national unity."
Chen said a pan-green camp majority in the legislature would also strengthen his hand when dealing with China.
Among the other DPP heavyweights who took the stage last night to root for Miaoli candidates Tu Wen-ching (
In a bid for increased support in Miaoli, a region with a high concentration of Hakka residents and a traditional blue-camp stronghold, Yeh -- a Hakka herself -- and Su campaigned on the DPP administration's record of promoting Hakka culture, including the establishment of a dedicated TV channel and departments for Hakka studies in universities.
With Taiwan entering the final days of the campaign, starting today Chen will attend three or four campaign rallies nationwide every day in a last ditch effort to canvass support.
In related news, the director of the DPP's Taipei City headquarters, Huang Ching-lin (
Huang said his office applied for permission last week to hold the event, which is anticipated to attract at least 100,000 supporters.
Locations such as the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Zhongshan Soccer Stadium and the old Sung-shan Tobacco Factory had all been turned down by the Taipei City Government, citing late applications or traffic concerns, Huang said.
Huang said the city government was acting out of political interests, a charge which city government spokesman Yu Tze-hsiang (游梓翔) denied yesterday.
The DPP will continue looking for a more suitable location, Huang said, though the chapter had already booked Shipai Junior High School for the rally, which can only fit 20,000 people.
Also see story:
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘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
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,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS