Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh, who returned from his 10-day trip to the US yesterday morning, told a press conference that he and the US officials he met -- from the US State Department, Department of Defense, the office of US Vice President Dick Cheney and important aides to both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party -- "had engaged each other in the most honest and effective communication."
Hsieh also said he conveyed to the US officials Taiwan's urgent need to solidify its national consciousness and it's feeling of being isolated in the world.
Hsieh said that he communicated the idea that the referendum on applying for UN membership under the name "Taiwan" is a necessary step to improve the nation's security.
"But we are also willing to find co-existence between Taiwan's interests and the US' interests," he said.
"The US is not against Taiwan's pursuit of democracy and our desire to be masters of our own fate through referendums," Hsieh said.
"What the US is concerned about is whether we respect it as a friend," he said.
"We need to create a win-win situation between the US and Taiwan," he said.
Hsieh said he told the US officials that the DPP was not pushing the UN bid to change the "status quo" but because "Taiwan needs to gain representation in the world."
"Based on the UN's principles, it is very strange that the 23 million people in Taiwan are not represented in there," he said.
Hsieh said reasons for pushing the UN bid under the name "Taiwan" include the nation's many failed attempts to join the UN under the name "Republic of China," the fact that the People's Republic of China does not represent Taiwan and that the name "Taiwan" is better known around the world than "Republic of China."
"It is OK that they [the international community] call us `Chinese Taipei.' Of course we can also be called `Taiwan,'" he said.
Hsieh said many factors had contributed to the low mutual trust between the US and Taiwan over the past seven years, adding that Taiwan's delayed arms procurement was one of them.
Hsieh criticized Chinese Nationalist Party counterpart Ma Ying-jeou (
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS