The Presidential Office yesterday said that People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (
Soong yesterday told students at Beijing's Tsinghua University that "it is the PFP's consistent stance that Taiwan independence is a dead end; Taiwan independence has never been a choice that the PFP and Taiwan should make."
While stating that every individual in Taiwan is entitled to his own opinion and enjoys freedom of speech, the Presidential Office's Department of Public Affairs expressed disapproval at Soong's comments by referring to a 10-point consensus reached between Soong and President Chen Shui-bian (
Soong is currently on a tour of China which he has dubbed "bridge-building." Prior to his departure, Soong said he would discuss the 10-point consensus with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤), who he is expected to meet today.
The Presidential Office said that, according to the sixth point in the Chen-Soong consensus issued on Feb. 24, any change to the status quo between Taiwan and China had to be determined by Taiwan's 23 million people and that no option -- including Taiwanese independence -- would be ruled out.
Ahead of Soong's meeting with Hu, the Presidential Office yesterday renewed its denunciation of the so-called "1992 consensus."
The Presidential Office statement said there never was a consensus, despite various references to the "1992 consensus" in the wake of trips by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Saying that none of the people who attended the Hong Kong meeting mentioned a "1992 consensus" before or after the talks, the statement added that the term was created by former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (
"One ought not to attach historic truth to a term that was created after the event," the statement said, adding that history should not be "changed, misinterpreted or misrepresented" by anybody as the political landscape changes.
Stating that there exists a complete archived record of the process and results of the 1992 negotiations, the Presidential Office said that the late chairman of the quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), Koo Chen-fu (
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
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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