President Chen Shui-bian's (
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday that Chen's speech was based on worries about China's relentless suppression of Taiwan, which has caused the cross-strait political, economic and military balance to tip toward China, a worrying situation that could lead to a unilateral change of the current status quo.
"As a national leader, the president has to pay attention to such signs and the people should understand the logic behind his Lunar New Year remarks and not take his words out of context," Huang said.
The foreign affairs minister said yesterday that Taipei has increased communications with Washington since Chen made the speech on Sunday to convey a fuller picture to US authorities and that Taiwan's stance on the cross-strait status quo was consistent with that of the US.
He said that there were indeed differences in Washington and Taipei's understanding of Chen's Lunar New Year remarks, but the gap was not a major one and had not caused a "crisis of trust" in US and Taiwan relations.
Regarding the State Department's statement that Taiwan joining the UN under the name of "Taiwan" would constitute a unilateral change of the status quo, Huang said it was "too strong" for the US to use such words.
Huang said Taiwan understands the US' reasons for reiterating its stated policy and that communications between the two sides remain smooth.
However, Huang said, because of the fast-changing cross-strait situation and the increasing difficulties and limitations placed on Taiwan's international participation, the US may not always understand Taiwan's predicament well enough.
Meanwhile, Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday explained that Chen's proposal to abolish the National Unification Council and guidelines was based on a legislative resolution passed on Jan. 12 this year to abolish all the unauthorized institutions under the Presidential Office.
Wu said these institutions included the Constitutional Reform Office, the Youth Corps, the National Human Rights Museum Preparatory Task Force and Technological Development Consultation Advisory Board.
"If all unauthorized organizations under the Presidential Office are to be abolished, it should imply that the National Unification Council, which is also unauthorized, should be abolished as well," Wu said.
In addition, Wu said that the council hardly functions at all, as its annual budget currently stands at only NT$1,000 after the Legislature slashed the original NT$6 million (US$187,000) budget proposed by the Presidential Office in 2003. Since then the council's budget has remained at NT$1,000 each year and the council hasn't convened a meeting since 1999.
"If we put the two resolutions passed by the Legislative Yuan together, one about the budget-slashing, and the other about unauthorized organizations, that means the Legislature itself wants to abolish the National Unification Council," Wu said.
"Anyway, the president's proposal is still under review and evaluation by the National Security Council, and therefore it has nothing to do with whether or not we are intending to [change] the `four noes,'" he said.
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
Taiwan is hosting the International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL) for the first time, welcoming more than 400 young linguists from 43 nations to National Taiwan University (NTU). Deputy Minister of Education Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said at the opening ceremony yesterday that language passes down knowledge and culture, and influences the way humankind thinks and understands the world. Taiwan is a multicultural and multilingual nation, with Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka, 16 indigenous languages and Taiwan Sign Language all used, Chu said. In addition, Taiwan promotes multilingual education, emphasizes the cultural significance of languages and supports the international mother language movement, he said. Taiwan has long participated
Taiwan must invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to keep abreast of the next technological leap toward automation, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said at the luanch ceremony of Taiwan AI and Robots Alliance yesterday. The world is on the cusp of a new industrial revolution centered on AI and robotics, which would likely lead to a thorough transformation of human society, she told an event marking the establishment of a national AI and robotics alliance in Taipei. The arrival of the next industrial revolution could be a matter of years, she said. The pace of automation in the global economy can
RSS