The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) will give its full support to President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) New Year's pledges, in which he resolved to protect the nation's sovereignty and offered a blueprint for the nation's development in the next two years, a top DPP official said yesterday.
Shortly after Chen made his New Year's speech yesterday morning, DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), speaking on behalf of the party, said that the DPP will strongly back Chen's commitments, which meet "public expectations."
Direction
"President Chen has worked out the key points of the country's new direction for the next two years, including guarding Taiwan's sovereignty, defending national security, insisting on reform and vowing to build up a government free from corruption," Lee said. "These are not only expectations of the social mainstream but are also the DPP's long-term values."
"The DPP will be united and give its full support to the president. We also hope that the people of Taiwan will recognize the president's efforts and give him encouragement," he said.
Lee said that the DPP agrees with Chen's declaration that Taiwan's sovereignty belongs to the nation's 23 million people, that Taiwanese should not assume that unification with China is inevitable and that China should not force the Taiwanese people to accept unification through non-peaceful means.
"It is a core value of democratic Taiwan that the people of Taiwan have free will to decide their future. The DPP has upheld this belief and will never give it up," Lee said.
Denying sovereignty
Lee also criticized Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chair-man Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who argues that unification with China is the ultimate goal for Taiwan and would negate Taiwan's autonomy and deny its sovereignty.
"We really regret Ma's pro-China stance. It is unacceptable that Ma takes China's side on unification and treats it as the only choice for Taiwan," Lee said.
Lee also promised that the DPP would remold itself and do its best to regain public trust in the party's integrity.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS