President Chen Shui-bian (
"I would resign to warn the president. Chen made a grave mistake by giving the pledges and signing an agreement with Soong. How can Chen, as head of state, sign such an agreement with a political party?" Koo said yesterday.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"Hasn't anyone in the Presidential Office noticed how improper it is for Chen to sign such a consensus with Soong? The president reiterated the `four noes,' as if underwriting Soong's aspiration to be the mediator between Taiwan and China," Koo said in an interview with the Taipei Times.
The 10-point consensus could have severe consequences for the country and its people, Koo warned, adding that the influence of the pact exceeds any agreements signed between individuals or party leaders.
He is unhappy with Chen's pledge not to declare independence, change the nation's name, push for the inclusion of the "state-to-state" model of cross-strait relations in the Constitution or to promote a referendum to change the status quo.
Soong wanted to meet with Chen to further his ambition to represent Taiwan in talks with China, Koo said. "Soong strongly desires the role and Chen said that he agreed with Soong on the `four noes.'"
Koo said the president was wrong to think Beijing would find it easier to accept Soong -- who is known for his pro-China and pro-unification stance -- as Chen's envoy.
"Soong's personality and political performance are problematic. Would China be willing to talk to him?" Koo said.
Soong has shown friendliness toward China, but his motive for wanting to be an envoy to China is hard to fathom, Koo said.
Chen should pick an envoy who could faithfully defend Taiwan's sovereignty so that the interests of the Taiwanese people would not be compromised, he said.
After Thursday's meeting with Chen, Soong said that he is the most qualified person in Taiwan to deal with cross-strait affairs.
"Soong is unreliable. Would the Taiwanese people accept agreements he reached with Beijing? If the people cannot accept such agreements, Chen's dignity and credit would be hurt," Koo said.
Although the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) does not have a legislative majority and opposition parties often block the government's policies, Koo said the administration still can achieve a lot without having to cooperate with its opponents.
"Taiwan's economic growth rate reached 5.9 percent last year. The legislature first cut the government's budgets but then passed them after all. The belief that the DPP government can't achieve anything without cooperating with the opposition is illogical," he said.
National policy advisor Wu Shuh-min (
"Taiwan's envoy to China would shoulder great responsibility. Chen should appoint somebody the people can trust to do the job. Soong is a controversial figure because of his personality problems," Wu said.
He also said Chen had gone too far in making the pledges regarding Taiwan's national status.
"What if the people want him to do things that he promised not to do in his consensus with Soong?" Wu said.
"We are considering whether it would be good for the country if we [senior presidential and national policy advisors] resign en masse. If the move would help the country, we would not hesitate to do step down. If not, we need to think about what else we can do," Wu said.
The advisors can only prove how unhappy they are about the consensus if they all resign, said national policy advisor Chin Heng-wei (
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS