China warned the US and other governments yesterday against using missile-defense systems to protect Taiwan or helping Taipei produce its own system.
"China opposes any country's inclusion of Taiwan in its missile defense system," said Zhang Yan (張炎), director-general of the Chinese Foreign Ministry's arms control department.
"It also opposes efforts or attempts to support or provide the Taiwan region with a missile defense system," he said.
Zhang didn't mention the US by name, but some US officials have suggested that a possible missile defense system might be extended to Taiwan.
Asked whether China would use nuclear weapons to threaten or attack Taiwan, Zhang repeated China's pledge not to be the first to use nuclear weapons in a conflict and not to use them against "non-nuclear-weapons states."
"That position has remained unchanged and will not change in the future," Zhang said.
`We will seek peaceful reunification with maximum efforts and sincerity, but we will never tolerate Taiwan independence,'' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang (
Both men's comments came after Beijing issued a white paper, China's Endeavors for Arms Control, Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, ahead of President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) visit to the US next week.
"China does not wish to see a missile defense system produce negative impact on global strategic stability, bring new unstable factors to international and regional peace and stability, erode trust among big powers or undermine legitimate security interests of other countries," the report said.
In the 17,000-word paper, China also reiterated its commitment to a policy of no-first-use of nuclear weapons and pledged not to engage in a nuclear arms race.
In Taipei, Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman You Ying-lung (
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
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
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their