Independent presidential candidate James Soong (
Before reaching such a consensus, however, Soong said he would ask his vice president, Chang Chao-hsiung
Soong also said he would not rule out the possibility of sending a member of the DPP to China as a cross-strait envoy.
Soong said he would be willing to visit the US, Japan and ASEAN countries as president-elect before the May 20 inaugural ceremony.
"The future leader of Taiwan is not only responsible for the well-being and security of the people of Taiwan, he also has international obligations to maintain peace and stability in the region," Soong said.
"After I am elected president of the Republic of China, I will not only be the favored leader here but also a favored leader of the region," he added.
Soong said the Taiwan Strait has been pegged as "the most likely hot spot for war," but that "politics is the art of the possible."
"While the political dispute cannot be settled at once, I would like to use cultural and economic approaches to promote a friendly atmosphere, in the hopes of pushing through a 30- to 50-year peace accord under the auspices of international witnesses," he said.
Soong has said he would, under the auspices of the international community, push for the signing of a 30-year peace agreement to bring security to the Strait.
Soong also took the opportunity to launch a verbal attack against President Lee Teng-hui's
"It couldn't be more obvious that Lee's formula is not welcomed by the international community," Soong said.
"As a state leader, while he struggled to ensure national security and the people's dignity, he also had to strike a balance between maintaining sovereignty and avoiding an unnecessary armed conflict with China," Soong said.
Despite the fact that both the KMT's Lien Chan
"If China refuses to respect the dignity of the Taiwanese, I would not visit China if I am elected. If Taiwan's people fail to iron out their differences, what subject can we talk to the Chinese about?" he said.
Soong then turned his attention to the president of the Academia Sinica, Lee Yuan-tseh
Lee has offered to act as a cross-strait envoy if Chen is elected.
"Everybody knows that when strong acid meets with a strong base, it will have a strong reaction. Lee himself is a prominent chemist, so he should understand such logic," Soong said.
Soong also said that his national affairs conference would determine the nature of the message that was to be conveyed across the Strait.
"I would not deny the possibility of sending DPP or independent representatives to negotiate with China," Soong added.
Soong also said the current "dump-save" effort indicated that the KMT's presidential candidate has been rejected by most voters.
"The so-called `dump-save' tactic resulting from Lee Yuan-tseh's endorsement of Chen was a feeble attempt to push me out, since Lien's popularity rating has never been over 20 percent," Soong said.
He said that he remains confident of victory.
Meanwhile, in a related development, KMT legislator Chin Hui-chu
Chin's endorsement appeared to come as no surprise to KMT headquarters, since Chin had been included in a party "blacklist" and was waiting to be expelled from the party over suspicions of supporting Soong.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS