Taiwan needs to know why Washington opposes Taipei's bid for UN membership under the name "Taiwan," Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Accompanied by 14 DPP legislators, Hsieh is on a 10-day US visit that will also take him to Washington; Detroit, Michigan; and Los Angeles, California.
Hsieh said it was important to know "whether the US government is opposed to Taiwan applying for UN membership under the country's formal name, or to applying as `Taiwan,' as President Chen Shui-bian (
Hsieh said he would try to convey the public's opinion on the UN issue to US authorities.
Hsieh said he had a full schedule during his visit, as he planned to organize support groups for his election campaign, visit think tanks, meet US officials and congressmen, and publicize Taiwan's stance on its role in maintaining peace in the Asia-Pacific region.
Hsieh said there was a confidence crisis affecting Taiwan-US ties, adding that Washington is Taiwan's most important partner.
The crisis is a result of many factors, Hsieh said, including Taiwan's stalls in Taiwan's arms procurement budgets.
Hsieh said he would discuss key issues with Washington officials and hoped to dispel doubts by being frank.
Upon his arrival in New York, Hsieh was greeted by officials of Taiwan's representative office in New York, members of the DPP's US East chapter and overseas Taiwanese living in the US.
He was scheduled to watch a baseball game at Yankee Stadium yesterday and meet overseas Taiwanese.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face