To the surprise of assembled journalists, Premier Frank Hsieh (
"With more and more outstanding and remarkable achievements by Taiwanese athletes, I think it is time for us to go for the application," Hsieh said. "To host the Olympic Games would be a great promotion for Taiwan, anyway."
Hsieh made his remarks during the opening speech for the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday morning.
Speaking on behalf of Hsieh, Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (
"We are definitely capable of organizing an international game like this," Cho said. "Taiwan is growing stronger and stronger in every aspect, including sports. More and more Taiwanese athletes, such as Los Angeles Dodger Chen Chin-feng (
Cho said that Taiwan is a small country, but it is definitely capable of organizing such an international event. Taiwanese people will prove this during the 2008 World Games in Kaohsiung, he said.
However, Cho also said that although Taiwanese athletes have proved to the world that Taiwanese people are eligible to host international games, basic construction on infrastructure such as gyms, pools and tracks has yet to begin and must be hurried up.
"We must have a dream, and we must be confident in ourselves that our dream can be carried out, sooner or later," Cho said.
The spokesman suggested that Taiwan shall organize more international games between 2008 and 2013 for promotion purposes, since the host of the 2020 olympics will not be decided until 2013.
Cho did not clearly state which city in Taiwan would be nominated to the make the application.
"Although Kaohsiung will be the city for the 2008 World Games, it is not necessary to have the same city represent Taiwan in the application to the International Olympic Committee to host the 2020 Olympic Games," Cho said.
"Every city in Taiwan has the chance," the spokesman said. "I would encourage everybody to do their best to fight for the representation of Taiwan and go for the 2020 Olympic Games."
To become a winner of the competition to host the Olympic Games, the city must come from a country whose athletes are remarkable and whose economic system is healthy, Hsieh said.
"As long as we keep trying, there must be a chance for us," Hsieh said. "If we care more about sports, we will be able to do it."
Also see story:
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
LIMITS: While China increases military pressure on Taiwan and expands its use of cognitive warfare, it is unwilling to target tech supply chains, the report said US and Taiwan military officials have warned that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could implement a blockade within “a matter of hours” and need only “minimal conversion time” prior to an attack on Taiwan, a report released on Tuesday by the US Senate’s China Economic and Security Review Commission said. “While there is no indication that China is planning an imminent attack, the United States and its allies and partners can no longer assume that a Taiwan contingency is a distant possibility for which they would have ample time to prepare,” it said. The commission made the comments in its annual
‘TROUBLEMAKER’: Most countries believe that it is China — rather than Taiwan — that is undermining regional peace and stability with its coercive tactics, the president said China should restrain itself and refrain from being a troublemaker that sabotages peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks after China Coast Guard vessels sailed into disputed waters off the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) in Taiwan — following a remark Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made regarding Taiwan. Takaichi during a parliamentary session on Nov. 7 said that a “Taiwan contingency” involving a Chinese naval blockade could qualify as a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan, and trigger Tokyo’s deployment of its military for defense. Asked about the escalating tensions
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS