Since a bill that would allow Taiwan to purchase three major weapons systems from the US has been blocked by the pan-blue alliance in the legislature 26 times, a pro-independence group yesterday announced that it will launch a "large-scale" march on Sept. 25 in Taipei City to call on the opposition parties to abandon their boycott of the bill.
The group behind the march, the pan-green supported Hand-in-Hand Taiwan Alliance, yesterday announced its plan to hold the march, while Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
The head of the alliance, Ng Chiau-tong (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
However, Ng said, the KMT later collaborated with its ally the People First Party, to boycott the procurement deal simply because of their desire to oppose the DPP government.
"The pan-blue camp's irrational actions have jeopardized Taiwan's security and allowed the military balance between Taiwan and China to deteriorate," Ng said.
Therefore, Ng said, the alliance will hold a "large-scale" march on Sept. 25 in Taipei City with the assistance of the World Taiwanese Congress, another pro-independence group.
The special arms procurement budget bill is designed to provide the funding for Taiwan to purchase three PAC-3 Patriot anti-missile batteries, 12 P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and eight diesel-electric submarines from the US. The purchase of the items would cost NT$480 billion (US$15 billion).
Critics of the deal describe it as costly and unnecessary, while supporters say it is vital to ensure that Taiwan can defend itself against Chinese aggression.
Ng said that the congress has invited President Chen Shui-bian (
Su said that the US does not understand why the arms sale has been delayed in the legislature for so long, and that many US officials believe it is now time for the people of Taiwan to express their resolve and do more to protect their homeland.
Otherwise, no one would be willing to help Taiwan if it was faced with an imminent Chinese invasion, Su said.
Shu agreed with Su, saying that national defense is the basis for a nation, and that there could be no such thing as sovereignty for a nation if its national security is endangered.
Both leaders called on supporters to participate in the march, promising that they would help the march to succeed.
also see story:
PFP lends conditional support to weapons budget
LEVERAGE: China did not ‘need to fire a shot’ to deny Taiwan airspace over Africa when it owns ‘half the continent’s debt,’ a US official said, calling it economic warfare The EU has raised concerns about overflight rights following the delay of President William Lai’s (賴清德) planned state visit to the Kingdom of Eswatini after three African nations denied overflight clearance for his charter at the last minute. Taiwanese allies Paraguay and Saint Kitts and Nevis, as well as several US lawmakers and the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) condemned China for allegedly pressuring the countries. Lai was scheduled to fly directly to Taiwan’s only African ally from yesterday to Sunday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of King Mswati III’s accession and his 58th birthday, but Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar suddenly revoked
The number of pet cats in Taiwan surpassed that of pet dogs for the first time last year, reaching 1,742,033, a 32.8 percent increase from 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture said yesterday, citing a survey. By contrast, the number of pet dogs declined slightly by 1.2 percent over the same period to 1,462,528, the ministry said. Despite the shift, households with dogs still slightly outnumber those with cats by 1.2 percent. However, while the number of households with multiple dogs has remained relatively stable, households keeping more than two cats have increased, contributing to the overall rise in the feline population. The trend
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
Taiwan has signed six arms procurement offers from the US totaling more than NT$208 billion (US$6.59 billion) covering long-range precision strike systems, missile stockpile replenishment and joint production of large-caliber ammunition, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The government’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion special defense budget has been stalled in the Legislative Yuan as opposition lawmakers question the amount and procurement items, while the Presidential Office and defense ministry say that the full amount is necessary to safeguard Taiwan. Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) on Monday briefed the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on the defense budget for
RSS