Prospects that the US Congress will pass a resolution supporting President Chen Shui-bian's (
Members of Congress who traditionally have supported Tai-wan unquestionably have engaged in a back-door debate over whether such a referendum should be considered and "the consensus at this time is not to do anything," one well-placed congressional source told the Taipei Times.
Taiwan's supporters in Washington have been seeking congressional support for a referendum that would counter President George W. Bush's comments on Dec. 9 during a news conference with Chinese Pre-mier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶) opposing the referendum.
There is a feeling "that something has to be done" in response, a lobbyist for Taiwan said.
However, "many members have strong reservations. There's a lot of reluctance to move forward," a congressional source said. He noted that if a resolution on such a high-profile issues were introduced and failed to pass, it "just makes you look weak."
A recent statement by Repre-sentative Henry Hyde, the strongly pro-Taiwan chairman of the House International Relations Committee, that he would not let his committee pass any resolution dealing with sensitive political issues before March 20 election, may have killed chances for a strong resolution any time soon.
Hyde was said to be concerned about the impact on the election that any strong pre-poll congressional resolution might have. As a result, Taiwan's supporters are taking what they describe as a "wait an see attitude."
It's "a matter of timing," one said.
"I don't think there will be a resolution [introduced]," one congressional source said. "If there was one, it would have happened by now."
Taiwan's backers have been trying to interest Congress in a resolution that would embody a broad declaration of support for Taiwan and its democracy, and which would include a provision supporting Chen's referendum. They have been unable to find sufficiently powerful sponsors to introduce the legislation in either house of Congress.
Robert Sutter, a professor at Georgetown University, is also doubtful that Congress would enact any strong pro-Taiwan measure this year. He made his comments in an address to a Washington seminar on the March election that was sponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the US-Taiwan Business Council.
Afterwards, he told the Taipei Times that while a bland resolution might be introduced and passed, the lawmakers would not enact one with any teeth.
"The question is what it will say and how broad will be the support if it says anything controversial. If it looks like an attack on the administration's position, if it looks like it is supporting a Taiwan effort against the administration, then it will be much harder to get a lot of support," he said.
The resolution sought by Tai-wan's supporters would endorse Chen's plan for a referendum on China's missile threat, demand Beijing renounce the use of force against Taiwan and recognize Taiwan's separate status from China, according to people familiar with efforts to frame a resolution.
It would be based on a bill approved nearly unanimously by the House of Representatives in July 1998 in response to then US president Bill Clinton's "three noes" declaration during a visit to Shanghai the previous month.
That measure recognized that at no time since the PRC was established has Taiwan been under its control.
The resolution affirmed the US commitment to Taiwan under the Taiwan Relations Act, called for settlement of cross-strait relations by peaceful means, committed Washington to suppling Taipei with arms sufficient for its self defense, sought a renunciation of the use of force by Beijing and supported Taiwan's membership in international organizations.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese