Lawmakers from both political camps yesterday agreed to pass a legislative resolution to voice the nation's opposition to China's proposed "anti-secession" law, which will most likely be passed during the National People's Congress session which begins tomorrow.
The Legislative Yuan resolution opposing the Chinese law will probably be passed before Tuesday, when the NPC will begin its hearing regarding the anti-secession law.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
For fear of being outshined by its erstwhile ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU), the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday proposed its own version of the resolution for today's meeting.
The DPP's draft, entitled "Safeguarding the Sovereignty of the Republic of China," says that the legislature should reach a resolution to reflect the resolve of the Taiwanese people to defend their nation's sovereignty.
"The Republic of China is an independent sovereign state, and not a subordinate of the People's Republic of China," the statement says. "This status quo cannot be altered without the consent of the people of Taiwan via the means of a referendum. The status quo in the Taiwan Strait should be commonly respected, and maintained by the international community, including the People's Republic of China."
Attempts to change such a status quo by any country, regardless of its means -- legislative or military, should be severely condemned and contested by the people of Taiwan, the statement says.
The DPP's draft is similar to that proposed by the TSU. Which states that Taiwan is an independent sovereign state and not part of China. The people of Taiwan should have the right to decide their own future and destiny and pursue such common values as freedom, human rights, democracy and peace.
Pan-blue lawmakers, however, remained evasive about their final stance on the matter.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Chen Chieh (陳杰) said that his caucus' support hinges on the content of the resolution.
"We will endorse it if it is beneficial to the nation, but we will oppose it if it is detrimental," he said.
People First Party caucus whip Chen Chih-bin (
In addition to the legislative resolution, Wang said that lawmakers yesterday agreed to present nominees for the legislature's "cross-strait affair response taskforce" by March 20.
The 25-member task force will be headed by Wang and Deputy Speaker Chung Jung-chi (
Also See Story:
GIO urges Beijing not to push `anti-secession' law
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned