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.
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
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