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.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai