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 (
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS