Mocking Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Wu made the remarks in a speech to more than 150 overseas Taiwanese delegates attending a conference held at the Howard Plaza Hotel in Taipei. The event was hosted by the Global Alliance for Democracy and Peace, a government-led organization that promotes Taiwan's interests abroad.
Citing the National Security Council and unnamed sources in the US intelligence community, Wu said that China now has more than 900 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan deployed at five bases in Fujian Province, as well as 11 military satellites in orbit.
"I'm very moved by your calling on China to remove the missiles on its eastern seaboard," Wu said, referring to a statement that the alliance issued on Wednesday demanding that China cease targeting Taiwan with 820 missiles.
"But that's not enough," Wu said, adding that many of the missiles were deployed on mobile launchers.
"If China one day removed the missiles from its east coast, they could just transport them all back the next day," he said.
China has made leaps in the development of its cruise missile technology, and was racing to beef up its military while Taiwan's military saw little or no growth, Wu said.
"China's acquisition of long-range bombers and mid-air refuelers from Russia means that it seeks to project its military power beyond Taiwan, because Chinese fighter jets wouldn't need to refuel mid-air in a cross-strait attack. Taiwan is so close that it doesn't need such resources," he said, adding that Taiwan was a "stumbling block to projecting power" throughout Asia for China, and was thus a prime target.
Panning China's diplomatic behavior, Wu said that "100 percent of Sudan's oil goes to China, while the Sudanese government backs genocide in its Darfur region."
He described China-Sudan relations as "chummy."
"As the African summit in Beijing winds down, let's not forget that China is behind all the worst governments in Africa," Wu said, adding that Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe used Chinese firearms and artillery to "slaughter" Zimbabweans.
Wu also lashed out at the US for "mistaking" Taiwan's democratization as moves toward independence. He added that the government's efforts to amend the constitution, hold referendums, or otherwise promote democratic development had resulted in pressure from Beijing "and even the US."
As for cross-strait relations, Wu claimed the government was eager to open up the country to Chinese tourists because it wished to show the Chinese public that "Taiwan isn't at all how the Chinese media has depicted it."
Wu blamed the Chinese government for holding up negotiations on cross-strait tourism, but added that "some progress in opening ourselves up to China for tourism will happen very soon."
President Chen Shui-bian (
In his speech, Chen slammed China for threatening the country with its huge and growing military.
"Despite China's impressive economic rise, it has become more authoritarian, posing a grave threat to our sovereignty and abusing human rights like never before," Chen told a packed audience.
Chen also praised the alliance for promoting democracy abroad in Taiwan's name, saying that its peaceful, constructive activities stood in stark contrast to China's military buildup and hegemony.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique