Chinese President Hu Jintao's (
In his speech on Dec. 31, Hu said the Chinese people would continue to strive toward realizing unification with Taiwan by adhering to the basic principle of "peaceful reunification and one country, two systems."
"`One country, two systems' in Hu's speech was of significance because it has been a long time since the Chinese government used the wording in its official documents," Wu said, adding that "the implication was to tighten cross-strait policy and cause problems for Taiwan's government."
Wu said that Taiwan was very aware of China's restriction of the nation's international space, its growing military threat and its refusal to heed Taiwan's overtures for negotiation.
"We can't expect too much progress in cross-strait relations if the Chinese government continues to ignore the Taiwanese government," he said.
Wu was speaking in the legislature's Home and Nations Committee in response to pan-blue camp legislators, who described Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) New Year's speech as another step in the worsening of cross-strait relations.
Wu yesterday urged Beijing to open an official dialogue with Taipei, an act he said was crucial to resolving cross-strait disputes.
"Only if we grasp the window of opportunity for cross-strait dialogue will we be able to resolve the existing deadlock pragmatically and create a different outlook for cross-strait relations," Wu said.
People First Party Legislator Wu Ching-chih (吳清池) said Chen's announcement that he wanted to hold a referendum for a new constitution in 2007 would not improve cross-strait relations.
Wu said that a new constitution aimed to enshrine a system of government suited to the needs of the country.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
RSS