President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said on Monday that the nation must continue to develop defensive weapons but said that it was unlikely China would attack Taiwan.
"We must take precautions in case Chinese leaders make unreasonable moves, for the Chinese government is not under legislative or public supervision," he said.
While cross-strait disputes must be resolved peacefully, Chen said Taiwan must nevertheless strengthen its self-defense capabilities.
Taiwan will not engage in an arms race with Beijing, but it must not stop developing necessary defensive weapons, he said.
Chen made the remarks in response to questions by the Taiwanese press corps at a press conference he held with Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega.
Saying that the best national defense is unity, Ortega said that it is more constructive to spend the defense budget on combating poverty and hunger and addressing infant mortality.
Ortega said he did not think China would attack Taiwan -- at least not for the moment -- adding that both sides should resolve their differences via peaceful means.
Chen drew laughter when he described his relationship with Ortega as "special" and like "a couple deeply in love."
Chen said they spent 13 hours together on his first day in Nicaragua, talking about various issues ranging from defensive weapons to Taiwan's UN bid.
Chen said they had wanted to continue talking into the night but were afraid Ortega's wife would be jealous.
Chen said he was particularly touched by what Ortega had once told him -- that there are two kinds of people in the world: Those who have 1,000 cups of water but drink alone and those who have only one cup but share it with others.
Taiwan is the latter, Chen quoted Ortega as saying.
"We are willing to share our one cup of water with our good friends, the people of Nicaragua," he said.
He also complimented a cold drink Ortega made using a personal recipe. Calling the drink "the modern Viagra," Chen said that Ortega did not keep the recipe to himself but shared it with him and other friends.
Ortega said they were indeed like a couple deeply in love but that their conversations were not romantic.
They include the welfare of their countries' people, peace, safety and social justice.
Nicaragua is the last leg of Chen's three-nation visit to Central America. Chen is scheduled to return to Taipei tonight.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
COUNTERMEASURE: Taiwan was to implement controls for 47 tech products bound for South Africa after the latter downgraded and renamed Taipei’s ‘de facto’ offices The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still reviewing a new agreement proposed by the South African government last month to regulate the status of reciprocal representative offices, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Asked about the latest developments in a year-long controversy over Taiwan’s de facto representative office in South Africa, Lin during a legislative session said that the ministry was consulting with legal experts on the proposed new agreement. While the new proposal offers Taiwan greater flexibility, the ministry does not find it acceptable, Lin said without elaborating. The ministry is still open to resuming retaliatory measures against South