President Chen Shui-bian (
Chirac on Monday described Taiwan's referendum as a "grave error" during a state banquet in honor of Chinese President Hu Jintao's (
The French president said Taiwan's referendum was a unilateral destabilizing initiative that would disturb the status quo. "It would be a grave error. It would carry a heavy responsibility," Chirac said at the banquet.
Taiwan immediately lodged a complaint with the French government about Chirac's remarks.
"The referendum mechanism has been used in France since 1791 as a part of the nation's democracy. Nine referendums were held during the Fifth Republic period, and four under president Charles de Gaulle," Chen said at a reception at the Presidential Office for Fernando Sanchez-Arias, world president of the Junior Chamber International, an international federation for young leaders and entrepreneurs.
"Even President Chirac himself has carried out a national referendum in 2000 to decide whether to adjust the length of the presidential term," Chen said.
"It was incomprehensible to me that the head of state of such a nation, with a 213-year history of practicing referendums, could dare to interfere in another nation's domestic affairs," he said.
Chen told Sanchez-Arias that the referendum was a necessary step on Taiwan's path toward a democratic system, which will be the most important mechanism to ensure Taiwan's security and the welfare of the country's future generations.
Chen said that Taiwan's economy has taken a turn for the better, and that various infrastructure construction projects have been initiated, which means that the worst is over and the best times are yet to come.
The reform process could not be stopped halfway, and no one could deprive Taiwan of its democracy, the president said.
"Taiwan's way to democracy is a way we cannot abandon. We have to insist on the correct way and keep walking. It's a road of no return, and a milestone for Tai-wan's deep-rooting of democracy," Chen said.
"Taiwanese people have a right to a referendum. Only by believing that no one can govern or betray us can Taiwan avoid becoming a local government of another country, changing the status quo unilaterally, and sending our children to the battlefield," Chen said.
He also denied Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
"When I was still a legislator, I debated the direct election issue with Ma, who was then the minster of justice. It was later proved that we stood on the correct side of history, and this is still the mainstream public opinion," Chen said.
The president has toned down the wording of the questions in the referendum, which is slated to be held along with the March 20 presidential election. Instead of being asked whether they want China to remove the 496 ballistic missiles targeted at Taiwan, voters will be asked whether they approve of Taiwan's defensive capabilities being upgraded against a possible Chinese military threat. Citizens will also be asked to vote on whether to negotiate for peaceful coexistence with China.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
RSS