President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) continued to push for the referendum on Taiwan's bid to join the UN under the name "Taiwan" yesterday, saying that a vote on the bid would generate at least four major influences, including a re-evaluation of the "one China" policy by the US.
Under the influence of the Taiwan UN-bid referendum, Chen calculated that Washington would review the "one China" policy it has followed for decades in favor of the People's Republic of China and consider whether the US should politically recognize both China and Taiwan.
Chen made the remarks while speaking at an event marking the sixth anniversary of the Taiwan Heart Association, established in 2001 by Vice President Annette Lu (
The president said he believes that the passage of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-initiated UN bid referendum will be very helpful in terms of winning US support for Taiwan.
Chen also claimed that the referendum would help to ensure the success of the DPP presidential ticket of Frank Hsieh (
In the wake of the UN-bid referendum, he added, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would increasingly "localize" itself and would probably change its name to the "Taiwan KMT."
Faced with a successful referendum on the UN bid, Chen claimed that China would no longer insist on the "one China" prerequisite for cross-strait negotiations, which would be conducive to the signing of a genuine bilateral peace accord.
The DPP-proposed referendum is slated to be held together with the presidential election on March 22.
As of Friday, Chen said, the DPP referendum initiative had collected 1.38 million endorsement signatures. The party expects to reach the 2 million target by the end of this month.
If 8 million eligible voters cast "yes" ballots next year, Chen said he is convinced that the percentage of Americans who support Taiwan's UN bid will increase from 55 percent to 70 percent.
Should that be the case, Chen said, the US Congress and the White House will feel the pinch of public opinion in the US and eventually change their attitudes and lend support to Taiwan's UN bid.
At a separate event, Chen said on Saturday that Taiwan would stand a better chance of persuading the US to support its bid to join the UN if the referendum proposal passes.
Chen made the remarks while attending a prayer service at the Eastgate Presbyterian Church in Tainan. The prayer service was held to ask for God's blessing for the country's quest for UN membership.
Chen said that insisting on Taiwan's separate identity and pursuing social justice are his fundamental policy values.
Despite US concerns over the referendum, Chen said he would not waver because he believed it was the right path for Taiwan to follow.
"So long as we have confidence in Taiwan, its people and democracy, we will succeed eventually," he said.
When the country's first-ever referendum was held alongside the 2004 presidential election, Chen recalled that the opposition camp pulled out all the stops to boycott the plebiscite. Still, some 7 million voters cast ballots in the referendum on issues regarding the country's defense.
This time around, Chen said, even the KMT is pushing for a referendum on whether the country should "rejoin" the UN under its official title, "Republic of China."
All these developments represent the progress made in Taiwan's democratic development, Chen said. He added that he firmly believes that the passage of the DPP-initiated UN bid referendum will be very helpful to lobby for US support for the cause.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS