Premier Frank Hsieh (
In an opinion article in yesterday's Washington Post, Hsieh also rebutted Beijing's analogy between the anti-secession law and US president Abraham Lincoln's efforts to prevent the secession of the southern states before the US Civil War, saying that Lincoln "wanted to preserve the Union in the name of freedom, not to deny it."
Hsieh used the article to contrast China's totalitarianism with Taiwan's democracy and friendship with the US, emphasizing the threat to Taiwan's democracy rather than the purely military aspects of the law.
"Taiwan agrees with the democratic vision of President [George W.] Bush: security will ultimately be guaranteed only through the advance of liberty," Hsieh wrote.
"It is no surprise that the most serious security problems we face in East Asia come from the policies being adopted by the region's two remaining one-party dictatorships: China and North Korea," he continued.
Titled, "Taiwan's Right to Freedom," the Post article says that today's mass rally against the anti-secession law was called to oppose the idea that China has the "right" to "use force to subjugate the people of Taiwan," and oppose the notion that "some 2,900 unelected and unaccountable Chinese `parliamentarians' have the right to determine the future of the 23 million people of Taiwan."
It says Beijing's US Civil War analogy is flawed because the Union that Lincoln sought to preserved was formed in 1787 by the ratification of the states in a process that rested on popular consent. "China's `law,'" Hsieh wrote, "is the product of one-party tyranny" and refers to a Taiwan "that has never been a part of, or under the sovereign control of, the People's Republic of China."
Despite repeated efforts by President Chen Shui-bian (
The premier also said that the process by which the anti-secession law was passed, including Beijing's refusal to release the text until after the National People's Congress agreed to the law, underscores the differences between the political systems of China and Taiwan.
That was in stark contrast to Taiwan's vibrant democracy, which has enriched the lives of it people, he said, while the Chinese people "live in a dictatorship with no political, religious or civic freedoms."
"Taiwan is an ally of the United States and has actively supported the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative. China has repeatedly been the subject of sanctions for its weapons proliferation activities around the world," Hseih wrote.
"Taiwan has renounced all weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear weapons. China is expanding its nuclear arsenal and developing new generations of land- and sea-based ballistic missiles capable of reaching US soil," Hsieh added.
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