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.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
RSS