Twenty-three founding members of the Taiwan Independence Party (TAIP) quit the party yesterday to support President elect Chen Shui-bian (
Speaking on behalf of the group, former TAIP chairman Lee Chen-yuan (
"Chen won the presidential election. The TAIP has finished its historical mission. It is not necessary to stay in a withering party and dissipate the power for Taiwan's solidarity," Lee told a news conference.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee Sheng-hsiung (
"While we hope to disband the TAIP, we still respect the other party members who disagree with this," he said, adding that Lee Chen-yuan had already brought up the question of the party's future before the election.
The TAIP also nominated its current chairman, Cheng Bang-chen (
While leaving the TAIP, both Lees said there was no need to join the DPP, though they would cooperate with the party.
Lee Chen-yuan also said he was willing to take on the position of national policy consultant should Chen invite him.
"If Taiwan needs me, I will accept [the position]," He said.
The news conference was, however, adjourned early as a result of the vociferous protests of party members who slammed the actions of the two Lees.
"You come and go at your will. Do you think we are just trash?" one angry TAIP supporter shouted.
At a TAIP news conference yesterday, Cheng Bang-chen said he was sad about the decision of the 23 to leave the party, but would not speculate on their real motivation. He said that he hoped they were not "chopping off the head of the TAIP to please the newly-elected government in expectation of being recruited."
The TAIP was founded in October 1996. Most of the party's founding officials were former members or supporters of the DPP at the time. The TAIP has played only a marginal role from the outset, largely because of the lack of political organization and promotional skills on the part of its leadership of academics.
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS