President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday hinted that he will forge ahead with the abolition of the National Unification Council (NUC) and unification guidelines, saying that he will continue to "do the right thing" and "walk the right way."
"No matter how bad the situation is, only faith, enthusiasm and unity can give us the power to march ahead without fear," he said. "It is like a train going through a tunnel. Some people are afraid of the darkness, but as long as the train keeps moving, they'll eventually see the light and hope at the end of the tunnel."
Chen made the remarks last night at a Lunar New Year dinner held by the Association of Tainan County Residents in Taipei City at the Ambassador Hotel. Chen, a native of Tainan, said that as China increased the number of missiles targeted at Taiwan along its southeastern coast from 706 last year to 784 this year, Taiwan's giant neighbor has significantly heightened cross-strait tension and threatened regional security.
"China has aggressively expanded its military capability and is honing its combat readiness in a three-stage preparation for war against us," he said.
The Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review also indicated that China, one of the regions major and emerging powers, has the greatest potential to "compete militarily with the US and field disruptive military technologies that could over time offset traditional US military advantages," he said.
As head of state, Chen said it is his responsibility and mission to safeguard the safety of the nation. He also called on the public to take heed of China's military buildup and political ambitions after it passed the "Anti-Secession" Law about a year ago.
"The US government has publicly criticized the law and asked Beijing to right its wrong," he said. "However, a year has passed and China has further split our country."
Chen also lambasted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"Only the Taiwanese people have the right to decide the future of Taiwan, not one single party or individual," Chen said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
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