The Presidential Office yesterday said a statement by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) warning of a referendum to gauge opposition to Beijing's proposed anti-secession law was just an option, and aimed at expressing anger over its possible introduction.
"What the president said did not mean the government is going to hold a referendum to oppose the anti-secession law right away," Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (
Huang was referring to remarks made by Chen in an interview published in Japan's Mainichi Shimbun on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Chen yesterday called for the nation to stand up to the proposed law.
"The enactment of the anti-secession bill would undermine the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, and Taiwan should react to it," Chen said during an inspection of a military facility in Pingtung County yesterday.
In the interview with the Mainichi Shimbun, Chen said the anti-secession bill would likely prompt his government to introduce a law against annexation.
"The government is also likely to hold a referendum to make clear that the Taiwanese oppose such a law," he said. "The referendum would take place at the same time as the National Assembly elections in May for amending the Constitution."
But Chen said his plan for a new constitution was not promoting independence.
"There is no need for people to worry about it," he said. "Since there is no consensus on issues regarding sovereignty, territory, unification and independence in Taiwan, adopting a new constitution will have nothing to do with promoting Taiwan's independence," he told the paper.
In Pingtung, Chen called the proposed law the biggest threat to regional stability and peace.
Chen said Beijing had been actively engaging in "psychological, legal and media warfare" toward Taiwan and that the Tai-wanese public should take the problem seriously and respond accordingly.
He said that Chinese military power had been growing for decades and that the People's Liberation Army's budget had been growing by double-digit figures every year, which concerned neighbors in the Asia-Pacific.
"A country that relies too much on other countries will fail in war," Chen said.
Also see story:
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday criticized the nuclear energy referendum scheduled for Saturday next week, saying that holding the plebiscite before the government can conduct safety evaluations is a denial of the public’s right to make informed decisions. Lai, who is also the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), made the comments at the party’s Central Standing Committee meeting at its headquarters in Taipei. ‘NO’ “I will go to the ballot box on Saturday next week to cast a ‘no’ vote, as we all should do,” he said as he called on the public to reject the proposition to reactivate the decommissioned
TALKS CONTINUE: Although an agreement has not been reached with Washington, lowering the tariff from 32 percent to 20 percent is still progress, the vice premier said Taiwan would strive for a better US tariff rate in negotiations, with the goal being not just lowering the current 20-percent tariff rate, but also securing an exemption from tariff stacking, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday. Cheng made the remarks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan explaining the new US tariffs and the government’s plans for supporting affected industries. US President Donald Trump on July 31 announced a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the US starting on Thursday last week, and the Office of Trade Negotiations on Friday confirmed that it
RSS