Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday dismissed allegations by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Su Chi (蘇起) that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government was developing nuclear weapons to confront China's military threat and as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the US.
Chang made the rebuttal on the legislative floor during a question-and-answer session with Su.
Su said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had told the Ministry of National Defense (MND)-affiliated Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology to develop a nuclear weapon.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
He also said that nuclear experts and a former national defense minister from a country equipped with nuclear weapons had been invited to discuss the issue.
Besides developing a nuclear weapon, Su said Chen was also pushing for the mass production of the locally developed Hsiung Feng II-E cruise missile.
political asylum
Su also said that Chen would seek political asylum in the US to protect himself from possible imprisonment over his role in the special allowance case when his presidential term comes to an end next year.
"With the development of the Hsiung Feng II-E and nuclear weapons, we are becoming another North Korea," said Su, a senior KMT member of the legislature's National Defense Committee.
Su said that he had obtained the information from a DPP Central Executive Committee member but he did not name the individual, nor did he provide proof to back his claims.
Dismissing Su's allegation, Chang insisted that the country had no plan to develop a nuclear weapon.
"This is a serious accusation. As the premier, I assured you that Taiwan is a democratic country with no plans or intention to develop nuclear weapons," the premier said.
"Taiwan will not produce, develop, acquire or use nuclear weapons," he said.
Su also said that the MND had plans to produce 245 Hsiung Feng II-E missiles and had requested NT$34.6 billion (US$1.06 billion) over eight years from the classified portion of the ministry's budget.
Earlier this week the ministry sought NT$3.8 billion for the missile project for next year, but lawmakers cut the budget by one-third, froze another one-third and passed the remainder.
range
The missiles are believed to have a range of between 600km and 1,000km, putting Hong Kong and Shanghai within their range, depending upon the type of engine used.
"The real problem, however, is not the nuclear weapon or the missiles," Su said.
"The real problem is that we have an abnormal president. He is going to use those weapons for his own interests," he said.
Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (
Lee said that the missiles are being developed for defensive purposes, rather than with any intention of starting a war.
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS