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.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS