Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that, if elected, he would lay the foundations for the nation's peace and prosperity for the next 100 years through his "three noes" policy -- no pursuit of unification, no Taiwanese independence and no use of force.
"By `no unification,' I mean during my term or terms of office I will not engage in any talks on unification between the Chinese mainland and Taiwan," Ma said in English during a keynote speech at a conference in Taipei organized by the New Taiwanese Foundation and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
"I will not pursue policies of de jure independence of Taiwan ... I will not use force and [I will] object to the use of force by either side of the Taiwan Strait to unilaterally change the status quo," he said.
Ma said these policies would help in "maintaining and consolidating the status quo of the Republic of China in Taiwan."
Ma said the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) attempts to achieve de jure independence had achieved nothing and damaged the mutual trust between Taiwan and its closest ally, the US.
Ma said he was confident that his "three noes" policy would be acceptable to Beijing and the international community and favorable to the people of Taiwan. He said China had shifted its policy on Taiwan from promotion of unification to prevention of Taiwanese independence.
During a question-and-answer session, Ma said if China continued to suppress Taiwan's attempts to participate in the international community it would only force Taiwanese to fight back.
Continued oppression could result in "something the People's Republic of China doesn't want to see," he said while urging the DPP government to take a "flexible" diplomatic approach and find common ground with Beijing.
Ma said his policies were not a zero-sum game that would threaten the "status quo," but a "workable model."
Ma also vowed to "uplift" and "upgrade" the nation's democracy.
He said it was "alarming" that research indicated Taiwanese people were less confident than other nationals in their democracy.
"We need to understand that democracy is not only about elections, but about fair play [in elections]. It is not about competing for power, but about compromise and cooperation," he said.
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Friday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
FORCED LABOR: A US court listed three Taiwanese and nine firms based in Taiwan in its indictment, with eight of the companies registered at the same address Nine companies registered in Taiwan, as well as three Taiwanese, on Tuesday were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) as a result of a US federal court indictment. The indictment unsealed at the federal court in Brooklyn, New York, said that Chen Zhi (陳志), a dual Cambodian-British national, is being indicted for fraud conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding Group’s forced-labor scam camps in Cambodia. At its peak, the company allegedly made US$30 million per day, court documents showed. The US government has seized Chen’s noncustodial wallet, which contains
SUPPLY CHAIN: Taiwan’s advantages in the drone industry include rapid production capacity that is independent of Chinese-made parts, the economic ministry said The Executive Yuan yesterday approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion (US$1.44 billion) into domestic production of uncrewed aerial vehicles over the next six years, bringing Taiwan’s output value to more than NT$40 billion by 2030 and making the nation Asia’s democratic hub for the drone supply chain. The proposed budget has NT$33.8 billion in new allocations and NT$10.43 billion in existing funds, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said. Under the new development program, the public sector would purchase nearly 100,000 drones, of which 50,898 would be for civil and government use, while 48,750 would be for national defense, it said. The Ministry of
SENATE RECOMMENDATION: The National Defense Authorization Act encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s navy to participate in the exercises in Hawaii The US Senate on Thursday last week passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2026, which strongly encourages the US secretary of defense to invite Taiwan’s naval forces to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, as well as allocating military aid of US$1 billion for Taiwan. The bill, which authorizes appropriations for the military activities of the US Department of Defense, military construction and other purposes, passed with 77 votes in support and 20 against. While the NDAA authorizes about US$925 billion of defense spending, the Central News Agency yesterday reported that an aide of US
RSS