President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) hopes to use an upcoming visit by former US President Bill Clinton as an opportunity to discuss global issues.
"During the meeting with Mr Clinton, President Chen will not focus on local issues and will only narrowly discuss affairs such as China policy or Taiwan's stance," sources from the Presidential Office told the Taipei Times yesterday.
"The president expects that dialogue will touch extensively on the trend of globalization and the New World Order."
Though the government did not arrange Clinton's visit, officials hope the public will take a positive attitude toward Clinton and welcome him as an influential guest.
"The Taiwanese people should not judge the former US president harshly because of his pro-China stance," the official said.
The official said that many Taiwanese may still harbor resentment toward Clinton because of his "three nos" policy, which he articulated in Shanghai during his 1998 tour of China.
"But the president hopes Taiwan's people will pay more attention to how `the Clinton experience' can inspire the country," the official said.
The "three nos" policy held that the US would not support independence for Taiwan; a "two Chinas" or "one Taiwan, one China" policy; or support Taiwan's membership in any organization for which statehood is a requirement.
Among Taiwan's political circles the "three nos" were viewed as the biggest blow to US-Taiwan ties since 1979, when Jimmy Carter's administration cut official ties with the country.
DPP lawmaker Parris Chang (
"We don't expect Mr Clinton to apologize to Taiwan for these blows in his upcoming speech in Taipei," Chang said in his article. "But we hope he will not continually promote the `one China' policy for Beijing."
"We also hope Clinton can sincerely examine Taiwan's achievements in democracy, freedom, and human rights -- which is totally different from the situation in China," Chang added, "and to share his observations with his Democrat colleagues in the US -- to convince them to support this free country."
The Presidential Office said that Chen was especially interested in Clinton's experiences in overcoming the political struggles of the early days of his presidency.
It is inevitable that political observers will compare President Chen with Clinton, a source from the President Office said, and the comparison will help Clinton to get a clearer picture of Taiwan's people.
The source said presidential staff believe that Clinton's visit will receive more public attention than any other recent foreign leader's visit.
Since Chen came to power in May last year, the visits of world leaders have sparked controversy.
These included visits from the likes of Singapore Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀) in September of last year and former South Korean president Kim Young-sam (金泳三) in July of this year.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
Taiwan’s economy grew far faster than expected in the first quarter, as booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove a surge in exports, spilling over into investment and consumption, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. GDP growth was 13.69 percent year-on-year during the January-to-March period, beating the DGBAS’ February forecast by 2.23 percentage points and marking the most robust growth in nearly four decades, DGBAS senior official Chiang Hsin-yi (江心怡) told a news conference in Taipei. The result was powered by exports, which remain the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, Chiang said. Outbound shipments jumped 51.12 percent year-on-year to
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
RSS