France does not oppose Taiwan's first national referendum on March 20 but disagrees with any votes that might change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) quoted its French counterpart as saying yesterday.
Chiou Jong-nan (
At a state banquet honoring visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao (
According to the explanation given by the French foreign ministry, Chirac was not referring specifically to the March defensive referendum proposed by President Chen Shui-bian (
The French ministry told Chiou that Chirac was referring to any referendum that would have sufficient impact to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, said MOFA spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦).
"That is why both Chirac and France's foreign ministry have never, in their open statements about Taiwan's referendum, specified that they oppose the March vote," Shih said.
Admitting that they favor the "one-China" principle, officials in the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs encouraged China and Taiwan to conduct open dialogues.
"What France opposes is unilateral actions that may destroy peace in the Taiwan Strait. France opposes any referendum on Taiwan's independence," the French ministry said.
French diplomats told Chiou that they understood the referendum was a sensitive issue and that they have seriously studied Chen's statements about Taiwan's referendum agenda. They said that a Taiwanese delegation had delivered a presentation on the referendum plan during a visit to France earlier this month, and that their government has taken this presentation into account.
Meanwhile, National Security Council Chairman Wei Che-ho (魏哲和) and Council for Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) have canceled planned trips to France as a result of Chirac's remarks.
Shih said there was currently no plan to halt exchanges between Taiwan and France.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
RSS