Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew said on Thursday that the government opposes unilateral moves taken by either side of the Taiwan Strait that could change Taiwan's status, build up cross-strait tension and affect political stability and economic prosperity in East Asia.
Answering a question raised in the Canadian parliament by Don Boudria, a leader of the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, who asked Pettigrew whether Canada was taking a similar stance to the US on Beijing's enactment of an "anti-secession" law targeting Taiwan, Pettigrew said that the content of the proposed law is still unknown, but he added that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would try to gain further information about the law once it is passed and publicized.
Boudria, who is also chairman of the parliamentarian Taiwan-Canada Friendship Association, said during a question-and-answer session that Washington has recently voiced its opposition to Beijing's enactment of the proposed law, which would provide Beijing with a legal basis to adopt "non-peaceful means" to resolve cross-strait problems if it thinks Taiwan is making moves toward independence.
Meanwhile, Stockwell Day, a spokesman for the Canadian Reform Conservative Alliance, said that China's expected enactment of the "anti-secession" law reflected Beijing's attempts to invade Taiwan.
Day claimed that Taiwan's "allies," have expressed concern over a democracy being infringed upon by totalitarians, Canada should also render its support to Taiwan.
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