The government has not ruled out the possibility of inviting former US leaders to act as "facilitators" helping both sides of the Taiwan Strait conduct bilateral talks, given the Taiwan is equipped to stand up to China's military threat, a top cross-strait policymaker said yesterday.
"If you look at the six assurances promised to Taiwan by the US government, one of them is not to serve as a mediator, nor to push Taiwan to talk to China," said Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (
"As it's very important for us that the Chinese agree to talks, we're urging the international community to tell Beijing to talk to us and to facilitate a more conducive environment for the two sides," Wu said.
"A better way to refer to the the US' role [in cross-strait negotiations] is as a facilitator," he added.
Wu made the remarks yesterday afternoon in response to a media queries after meeting with 35 foreign correspondents from 29 international media outlets at the Executive Yuan.
In addition to Wu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Wu also dismissed rumors that the nation is developing nuclear weapons after the US expressed concern over the nation's possible nuclear weapon activities.
"Our stance on the issue is crystal clear: no development, no production, no acquisition, no storage and no use of any nuclear weapons," Wu said.
Last Tuesday, People First Party (PFP) Legislator Nelson Ku (
Responding to the question regarding the impact the government's NT$600 billion arms procurement budget would have on cross-strait relations, Wu said the ball was in China's court.
"The fundamental thing is that China should stop threatening Taiwan militarily," Wu said. "If they don't threaten Taiwan militarily, there is no need for Taiwan to purchase more weapons."
Wu reiterated that the arms procurement project is not aimed at defeating China but at creating a "win-win situation" in the Taiwan Strait.
"As President Chen Shui-bian (
"We're thinking of a win-win situation, rather than defeating the Chinese," he said.
Mark Chen also said yesterday that the nation does not engage in "checkbook diplomacy" after Costa Rica's foreign ministry had requested an explanation over alleged political donations to the country's former president.
"I've explained it in several occasions that we have signed a five-year contact with [Costa Rica] to provide financial aid," he said.
"While the allocation of the funding has to go through a standard operating procedure here, we have no comment on how the governments of our allies use the money."
Chen, however, called on countries receiving financial aid to make the process of how the money is used more transparent.
Although Mark Chen said he knew nothing about a rumor that President Chen refused financial aid to one of Taiwan's allies in Central America, the government's stance on financial aid to foreign countries is clear.
"We'll continue to help needy countries because we were once a beneficiary of aid during the 1950s and 1960s," the minister said.
"Now it's time for us to give back to the world, as we're becoming financially better-off," he said.
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
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
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
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