Former president Lee Teng-hui's (
The pledge stated that as long as Beijing had no intention of using military force against Taiwan, Chen would not declare independence, change the national title, ensconce the "state-to-state" model of cross-strait relations in the Constitution, hold a referendum on independence or unification, or abolish the National Unification Council and guidelines.
Lee's office issued the denial yesterday in response to a report in the Chinese-language China Times. The report said that the "one without" was not in the original draft of Chen's speech, and that it was Lee who suggested that Chen include it in order to "safeguard the country's interests."
"President Chen never consulted former president Lee during or after the drafting of the inauguration speech, so how would [Lee] make any suggestions [to the president]?" Lee's press statement asked. "The report is false and we are sorry that it has confused the public."
Chen's intention to abolish the unification council and guidelines has generated considerable concern among certain groups. According to the China Times report, Chen decided to abandon the "one without" condition after he suffered setbacks to his "middle course" policies and after China's refusal to negotiate with the government.
The abolition of the unification council and guidelines, the article said, reflected Chen's desire to "surpass Lee and leave no burden for future generations."
Meanwhile, regarding speculation that Chen will restate his "four noes" pledge when he announces the abolition of the unification council and guidelines, DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
"The `four noes' pledge is all about Taiwan's sovereignty, while the abolition of the unification council is relatively unimportant," Lin said.
"Restating the `four noes' pledge would be no different from selling the country out in return for [the abolition of the unification council]," Lin said.
Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"I don't think the US will accept Chen's restating the `four noes' as a compromise to abandoning the `one without,'" he said.
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
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 Hualien Branch of the High Court today sentenced the main suspect in the 2021 fatal derailment of the Taroko Express to 12 years and six months in jail in the second trial of the suspect for his role in Taiwan’s deadliest train crash. Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), the driver of a crane truck that fell onto the tracks and which the the Taiwan Railways Administration's (TRA) train crashed into in an accident that killed 49 people and injured 200, was sentenced to seven years and 10 months in the first trial by the Hualien District Court in 2022. Hoa Van Hao, a
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
RSS