Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) yesterday aimed to set the historical record straight while introducing his new book, which examines treaties that had a "strong influence" on Taiwan.
"Due to political factors, Taiwan's history has constantly been twisted. Last week, many ridiculous comments about Taiwan were made during former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and Chinese President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) conversations. As a result, I had to do something," Yao said.
Yao made the remarks during a presentation to introduce his book. The book, published in Chinese, with its title loosely translated as Record of Treaties concerning Taiwan, introduced four treaties that influenced Taiwan: the Treaty of Shimonoseki, the Treaty of San Francisco, the Japanese Peace Treaty and the US-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty.
The date for yesterday's presentation was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Shimonoseki in Japan on April 17, 1895. In the treaty, the Qing Dynasty ceded Taiwan to Japan.
The Treaty of San Francisco was signed by 48 countries in San Francisco on Sept. 8, 1951. Neither the Republic of China (ROC) or the People's Republic of China were invited to that conference, hence neither signed that treaty.
The Japanese Peace Treaty was signed in Taipei on April 28, 1952. It was a "sub-treaty" of the Treaty of San Francisco, and its intent was to ask Japan to recognize the ROC as the only legal Chinese government in the world.
The US-Taiwan Mutual Defense Treaty was signed on Dec. 2, 1954 and committed the US to helping defend Taiwan.
Yao said many politicians have twisted history by using "weird political language to deceive the public."
"However, facts are facts and history shall not be changed," Yao said, adding that the illustration of these four treaties affirmed the fact that Taiwan is an independent, sovereign country.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS