A low voter turnout in the referendum will damage the development of Taiwan's relationship with China, Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通) said yesterday when asked to comment on opposition lawmakers' call to boycott the referendum.
The second referendum question, which asks voters whether they want the government to establish a "peace and stability framework" with China for cross-strait interactions, had been proposed by the Mainland Affairs Council.
A low turnout will give China the opportunity to further weaken international support for Taiwan, Chen said.
"The referendum is a means of building up the public's consensus. Such an institution is indeed needed in the country's democratization process," Chen said.
Regardless of whether people vote "yes" or "no," a consensus will be reached on how to handle cross-strait affairs, but if voters simply refuse to cast ballots, the hard-earned referendum instrument will be wasted, Chen said.
Asked how the government would respond if the majority votes "no," Chen said that it would accept the result as "an expression of the people's opinions."
Chen said that if the public says no to the first question -- whether to beef up the country's anti-missile defenses -- the government would continue communicating with the people about how to defend the country.
Nevertheless, the arms purchases that have been passed by the legislature will not be revoked as a consequence of the referendum results, Chen said.
If at least half the voters cast ballots in the referendum, the mechanism to create a consensus will be established, but a smaller turnout would create the impression that the public is hesitant to back the referendum, Chen said.
"China will interpret a low referendum turnout as a sign of a lack of consensus among the people and will take advantage of it to divide the public's opinions here. It will also reduce Taiwan's bargaining power in all future negotiations with China," he said.
“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
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
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
RSS