The opening tomorrow of the new American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) compound in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) represents an improvement in bilateral ties and a move toward the normalization Taiwan-US relations, chairman of Taiwan New Century Foundation Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志) said yesterday.
Chen made the remarks at a book launch in Taipei for the Chinese-language version of his book The US-Taiwan-China Relationship in International Law and Policy (美國、台灣、中國的關係：國際法與政策觀點).
Chen said backs both developments, while advocating that Taiwan hold national referendums on sovereignty issues, but urged legislators to enact an “anti-China annexation” (反中國併吞法) law.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
In the book — first written in English and published by Oxford University Press in 2016 — Chen details Taiwan’s political status and the development of its relationships with other countries throughout history, with an assessment of the nation’s current situation.
He then looks toward the future for Taiwanese striving for self-determination and normalization of ties.
“One of the main focuses is on the US Congress’ enactment of the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) in 1979. Over the past decades, the TRA has been integral to guaranteeing regional security, and vital for Taiwan’s economic development and its transformation into a democratic society with protection of freedom and human rights,” Chen said.
The book also focuses on a discussion of and recommendations for Taiwan’s status under international law, he said, adding that the best way to counter China’s military threat of invasion is to hold national referendums to achieve “effective self-determination” and propose that the Legislature to pass an “anti-China annexation” law.
He urged Taiwan to strive to change its political status by abandoning the anachronistic framework of Republic of China and its outdated Constitution, Chen said.
Other people have suggested that Taiwan should become “the Switzerland of Asia” with a policy of permanent neutrality in the Asia-Pacific region, but Chen said the way to go is by effective self-determination for Taiwan to become a normal country.
The Democratic Progressive Party government seems to be fixed on maintaining the “status quo,” Chen said, adding that it is up to Taiwanese and civil society to demand that Taiwan become a normal sovereign country.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
Police today said they are stepping up patrols throughout the Taipei MRT system, after a social media user threatened to detonate a bomb at an unspecified station this afternoon. Although they strongly believe the threat to be unsubstantiated, Taipei Metro police and the Railway Police Bureau still said that security and patrols would be heightened through the system. Many copycat messages have been posted since Friday’s stabbing attacks at Taipei Main Station and near Zhongshan MRT Station that left three dead and 11 injured, police said. Last night, a Threads user in a post said they would detonate a bomb on the Taipei
RSS