In the face of the administration’s elaborate plans to celebrate the Republic of China’s (ROC) centennial, a pro-independence group yesterday said it was teaming up with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to hold a march on Sept. 8 to reaffirm Taiwan’s sovereignty.
Former Examination Yuan president Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文), who heads the Taiwan Nation Alliance, said at least three major events would be held this year.
In addition to the annual commemoration of the 228 Incident on Feb. 28, Yao said the alliance would organize a third conference on national affairs on March 19 under the theme “Building a Taiwan republic and expanding its international space.”
This would be followed by the parade on Sept. 8 to mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of San Francisco, which Yao said confirmed Taiwan’s existence as a sovereign state, after Japan renounced all rights over it on Sept. 8, 1951. Representatives from Taiwan and China were not present at the signing of the treaty.
“The event [march] will seek to highlight Taiwan as a sovereign state, in contrast to the [ROC] celebration activities being organized by the administration, however difficult it is to understand what they are about,” he said.
Several pro-independence organizations in Taiwan and abroad view the ROC as a foreign regime imposed on Taiwan after the KMT retreated to Taiwan following its defeat by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949.
The alliance hosted a forum yesterday to examine the government’s performance in the past year and its prospects this year.
Chen Yi-shen (陳儀深), an executive member of the alliance, accused the administration of believing in what he referred to as the fictitious “1992 consensus” — a term coined by former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) that has become a cornerstone of the Ma administration’s dialogue with Beijing and whose validity as a basis for talks has been put into question by various politicians.
Chen said that while he was in favor of a plan by the DPP to engage China without preconditions, how Beijing would react to the proposal remained to be seen.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
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The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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