Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) proposed yesterday that the government declare to the world the existence of "two Chinas" to counter Beijing's "one China" policy.
Lu made the remark during an interview with CTV yesterday.
"Why don't we just yell out `two Chinas' -- a free and democratic Republic of China on Taiwan and a communist People's Republic of China on the mainland," she said, who made the comment in the wake of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) recent statements that he has no plans to change the official name of the country from the Republic of China to "Republic of Taiwan" during his term.
"There are many disputes over the definition of national sovereignty and we should clarify on the fact [of `two Chinas'] to let the international community understand and make it more convenient to support us."
Under this "two Chinas" framework, the anti-secession law that Beijing is planning to enact will be inapplicable to Taiwan, because the law will only be effective in territory controlled by the PRC, Lu said.
According to the vice president, Beijing compelled Taipei to accept the "one China" policy during talks held in Hong Kong in 1992, and both sides later came to a compromise that allowed either side to express their respective interpretations of the meaning of "one China," with Beijing insisting that "one China" refers to the PRC, and Taipei insisting that "one China" refers to the ROC.
This so-called "1992 consensus" established during the time of the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government reflected the fact that there are "two Chinas," Lu said. Lu suggested that the KMT, as a supporter of the "1992 consensus," openly confess it is following a policy of "two Chinas" and take the lead in promoting the idea of "two Chinas."
She agreed with President Chen that the ROC is the largest area of common ground between the different political camps in Taiwan on the controversial issue of national identity. In response to the vice president's proposal, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said that although the concept of "two Chinas" is closest to the reality, it cannot solve the problems across the Taiwan Strait.
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
IN FULL SWING: Recall drives against lawmakers in Hualien, Taoyuan and Hsinchu have reached the second-stage threshold, the campaigners said Campaigners in a recall petition against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) in Taichung yesterday said their signature target is within sight, and that they need a big push to collect about 500 more signatures from locals to reach the second-stage threshold. Recall campaigns against KMT lawmakers Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) and Lo Ting-wei (羅廷瑋) are also close to the 10 percent threshold, and campaigners are mounting a final push this week. They need about 800 signatures against Chiang and about 2,000 against Yang. Campaigners seeking to recall Lo said they had reached the threshold figure over the
RSS