Following the summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that he would not sacrifice the interests of the Taiwanese people by accepting Beijing's terms in exchange for a hand-shake with his Chinese counterpart and a Nobel peace prize.
Chen said that he does not need to go on a pilgrimage to China because there are many hands in Taiwan he needs to shake. Nor does he need a Nobel peace prize because peace in the Taiwan Strait is more important than such a honor.
"If South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korea's Kim Jong-il can, so can Chen Shui-bian," he said.
"Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
Chen said he was not prepared to accept Beijing's "one China" policy and theory of unification because they run counter to his beliefs. Nor does he think a majority of Taiwanese would want to see him to do that, he said.
As national leader, Chen said, he cannot be so selfish and greedy to think only about his own interests because his most important mission is to protect Taiwan or else he would be judged by history as a wrongdoer.
Chen made the remarks in a speech to members of District 3490 of the Rotary International Taiwan at the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei yesterday morning.
Chen said that there is no such thing as "one China with each side's individual interpretations" and the so-called "1992 consensus" does not exist.
They are lies cooked up by the former KMT regime to deceive the people of Taiwan and the international community, Chen said.
The "cross-strait common market" proposed by former premier and KMT vice presidential candidate Vincent Siew (
Taiwan will surrender to the authoritarian regime if the government accepts the precondition that Taiwan is part of China, he said.
Chen said that making money is important, but national sovereignty and security must be upheld in addition to the dignity and interests of the nation.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
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STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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