Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday that Taiwan's National Unification Guidelines are similar in spirit to China's "Anti-Secession" Law in that they both assume unification to be the ultimate goal of cross-strait relations -- an assumption that violates the people's freedom of choice.
"The National Unification Guidelines are similar to certain articles of China's `Anti-Secession' Law as both advocate unification. [This] could easily confuse international society. Therefore, it is necessary to consider whether to keep the guidelines, in order to safeguard the opportunity for Taiwanese people to decide their own future," Wu said yesterday during an interview with a local TV station.
Wu also objected to recent US State Department statements that Taiwan's joining the UN under the name of "Taiwan" would constitute a unilateral change to the cross-strait status quo.
"President [George W.] Bush made freedom and democracy the most important goals of America's foreign policy in his 2004 presidential inaugural speech, and he reiterated that stance in his latest `state of the union' speech. So why would Taiwan, a free and democratic country, be seen as changing the status quo if it wants to join the UN under the name `Taiwan'?" Wu asked.
While the proposal to abolish the unification guidelines and National Unification Council is still being reviewed by the government, it is important to make the US understand that China is the one undermining the status quo through its rapid military buildup against Taiwan, Wu said.
At a separate event yesterday, Vice President Annette Lu (
"The Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] is only checking to see if the food has begun to stink after being frozen in the refrigerator for so many years," Lu said while giving a speech at a trade union gathering in Taoyuan County.
Wu also told a TV interviewer yesterday that it would be impossible to realize direct fights between China and Taiwan during his tenure as MAC chairman unless the appropriate government-to-government negotiations take place.
Wu also warned on China's destructive tactics against Taiwan, citing Chinese President Hu Jintao's (
Wu said that intelligence sources reported recently that Hu demanded that Taiwanese businessmen in Fujian Province provide new agricultural technology to China every month.
"This is basically a way to destroy Taiwan's agriculture," Wu said, adding the leak of important technology to China could threaten Taiwan's agricultural competitiveness.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese