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.
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
FLOOD RECOVERY: “Post-Typhoon Danas reconstruction special act” is expected to be approved on Thursday, the premier said, adding the flood control in affected areas would be prioritized About 200cm of rainfall fell in parts of southern Taiwan from Monday last week to 9am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District (桃源) saw total rainfall of 2,205mm, while Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) had 2,060.5mm and Tainan’s Nanhua District (南化) 1,833mm, according to CWA data. Meanwhile, Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County saw 1,688mm of accumulated rain and Yunlin County’s Caoling (草嶺) had 1,025mm. The Pingtung County Government said that 831 local residents have been pre-emptively evacuated from mountainous areas. A total of 576 are staying with relatives in low-lying areas, while the other 255 are in shelters. CWA forecaster
RSS