President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) last night stressed that he had not altered his basic stance on upholding Taiwan's national sovereignty and dignity, amid the recent controversy triggered by opposition party leaders' trips to China.
"We will never waver in our insistence to push forward democratic reforms, and we will uphold the political line of identifying with Taiwan," Chen said. "And we will continue to commit ourselves to turning Taiwan into a normal, progressive, beautiful and great country."
The president made the remarks last night while meeting with ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) city and county chiefs, legislators and party leadership to communicate with them on the controversy within the party regarding Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
The remarks were made against the backdrop of criticism that the DPP leadership's stance toward the visits has been inconsistent, which has caused party members' support to waver in the runup to next Saturday's National Assembly elections.
Noting that China is well known for its "united front" tactics against Taiwan -- which aim to co-opt key sectors of Taiwanese society in order to further Beijing's goal of unification -- Chen urged the party and public to stay united, saying that only China would benefit if the nation becomes divided.
"Just because recent polls suggest that support for the DPP has declined, [that doesn't mean that] the grassroots supporters have shifted their support to other parties," Chen said. "Party members need to have confidence in ourselves."
Chen said that while he did not oppose Lien and Soong's trips to China, that does not mean that he agrees with all of their rhetoric during their visits.
Saying that China had attempted to collaborate with the opposition parties to influence the upcoming election and hence prevent democratic reforms, Chen called on party members to stay united and confident.
Also see story:
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique