The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continued to solicit support from all sectors of society to take part in a nationwide demonstration set for March 26 to vehemently oppose Beijing's proposed anti-secession law, DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (
Su called for people of all ages and walks of life to take part in the rally to say "no" to the anti-secession law targeting Taiwan and assert the nation's democratic will. The anti-secession law is expected to be enacted by the Chinese National People's Congress at its ongoing annual session which closes Monday.
Su visited several private groups yesterday to try to broaden the support base for the DPP-initiated nationwide rally, in which some 500,000 people, including and former President Lee Teng-hui (
Among the business executives that Su visited yesterday was Taiwan Federation of Industry Chairman Lee Cheng-chia (李成家), who said that members of his federation will throw their support behind the DPP in its efforts to lead people to oppose the law, which allows "non-peaceful means" to be used should Taiwan move toward permanent or formal independence.
Meanwhile, Lai Ching-teh (
Lai said it hopes that opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Responding to such appeals, KMT Legislator Kuo Su-chun (
Lai further said that the DPP legislative caucus will also initiate a resolution soon to ask all party leaders to take part in a leadership summit to jointly craft countermeasures against the enactment of the anti-secession law.
The March 26 nationwide demonstration will be the largest-ever that the Taiwan people hold to say "no" to China, Lai added.
DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (
Lee pointed out that the tensions in cross-strait relations lie in Beijing's refusal to recognize Taiwan's sovereignty, its threat of force and deployment of missiles which threaten the peace and security of the Taiwan Strait and its harsh methods used to squeeze Taiwan.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
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