The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday rejected speculation that the party would draw up a new resolution on Taiwan’s status.
DPP Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文) was the bottom line and there was no need to write a new resolution to replace it.
The resolution states that Taiwan is an independent and sovereign country and that change to the “status quo” of independence should require the approval of the people of Taiwan in a national referendum. Taiwan does not belong to the People’s Republic of China, the resolution says, rejecting the “one China” principle and “one country, two systems” model promoted by China.
Tsai made the remarks in response to questions about a report published in the Chinese-language United Evening Express yesterday. The report claimed the DPP was planning to draft a resolution on the nation’s sovereignty and future development to be debated at the party’s National Congress on July 20.
The report said the Party Reform Task Force formed a five-person team to author the draft. The new resolution would emphasize the importance of Taiwan’s sovereignty and undertake to differentiate the DPP from the pro-unification Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the report said.
DPP Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) yesterday dismissed the report as “groundless.”
Individual members of the task force may have had the idea of proposing a new resolution, but the party has no plan to do so, Cheng said.
Cheng said the newspaper had confused the facts, and the five-person team was indeed tasked with looking into revising the party platform. The task force, which meets twice a week, will look at three main issues: revising the party platform, internal party discipline and the party’s evaluation and nomination processes, Cheng said. The task force will propose a reform package on June 18 for debate at the National Congress.
The task force met yesterday. It’s work is ongoing and it has not reached its conclusions yet, Cheng said, adding that the group would meet again tomorrow.
Former DPP legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康), a member of the task force, filed a motion yesterday to restore the party’s Department of Chinese Affairs, which was integrated with the Department of International Affairs. The party must have a separate unit to examine cross-strait issues as formal cross-strait talks are set to begin next Wednesday, he said.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or