Yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (
"We express gratitude to the US government for not linking arms sales to Taiwan with the spy-plane collision event," Chen said, "and we ask that the Bush administration work hand-in-hand with Congress in supporting arms sales to Taiwan."
Chen stressed that arms sales are not only a military matter but, more importantly, guarantee Taiwan's democratic tradition and helps reopen cross-strait negotiations.
"Only when Taiwan's security is guaranteed, can Taiwan's democratic tradition continue, allowing Taiwan to have ... the confidence to negotiate with China," he said.
At the same time, Chen urged the US government to help maintain the stability of the Asia-Pacific region by assisting Taiwan and China in constructing a cross-strait confidence-building mechanism.
"The spy plane collision crisis reveals the inability of agreements between China and the US to prevent events of such a nature," Chen said to a US Senate delegation yesterday at the Presidential Office.
"In addition, the `hotline' between the two countries' [US and China] heads is obviously problematic and the new national security task force of Chinese President Jiang Zemin (江澤民) only served limited functions [in the crisis]," Chen said. "Therefore, creating a military confidence-building mechanism between Taiwan and China under the US' assistance is of great urgency."
The president went on to say that the fact that China and the US continue to hold different opinions on many important issues proves the existence of uncertainties in their bilateral relationship.
"Taiwan and the US should jointly deal with the changes taking place in China -- including the transition of power, lurking nationalism, and military proliferation," Chen told the US senators.
The president made his remarks when he received a US Senate delegation, comprised of Phil Gramm, Robert Bennett, Jim Bunning, and Mike Crapo. The delegation was originally scheduled to visit China but they visited Taiwan instead because of the spy-plane incident.
Chen praised Bush for handling the plane collision crisis in a well-composed, calm and skillful manner, demonstrating the US government's firm yet flexible stance.
The delegation members said they would endeavor to improve relations between the two countries and help Taiwan enter international organizations.
SLOW-MOVING STORM: The typhoon has started moving north, but at a very slow pace, adding uncertainty to the extent of its impact on the nation Work and classes have been canceled across the nation today because of Typhoon Krathon, with residents in the south advised to brace for winds that could reach force 17 on the Beaufort scale as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecast that the storm would make landfall there. Force 17 wind with speeds of 56.1 to 61.2 meters per second, the highest number on the Beaufort scale, rarely occur and could cause serious damage. Krathon could be the second typhoon to land in southwestern Taiwan, following typhoon Elsie in 1996, CWA records showed. As of 8pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 180km
TYPHOON DAY: Taitung, Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Hualien and Kaohsiung canceled work and classes today. The storm is to start moving north this afternoon The outer rim of Typhoon Krathon made landfall in Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) at about noon yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, adding that the eye of the storm was expected to hit land tomorrow. The CWA at 2:30pm yesterday issued a land alert for Krathon after issuing a sea alert on Sunday. It also expanded the scope of the sea alert to include waters north of Taiwan Strait, in addition to its south, from the Bashi Channel to the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). As of 6pm yesterday, the typhoon’s center was 160km south of
STILL DANGEROUS: The typhoon was expected to weaken, but it would still maintain its structure, with high winds and heavy rain, the weather agency said One person had died amid heavy winds and rain brought by Typhoon Krathon, while 70 were injured and two people were unaccounted for, the Central Emergency Operation Center said yesterday, while work and classes have been canceled nationwide today for the second day. The Hualien County Fire Department said that a man in his 70s had fallen to his death at about 11am on Tuesday while trimming a tree at his home in Shoufeng Township (壽豐). Meanwhile, the Yunlin County Fire Department received a report of a person falling into the sea at about 1pm on Tuesday, but had to suspend search-and-rescue
RULES BROKEN: The MAC warned Chinese not to say anything that would be harmful to the autonomous status of Taiwan or undermine its sovereignty A Chinese couple accused of disrupting a pro-democracy event in Taipei organized by Hong Kong residents has been deported, the National Immigration Agency said in a statement yesterday afternoon. A Chinese man, surnamed Yao (姚), and his wife were escorted by immigration officials to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where they boarded a flight to China before noon yesterday, the agency said. The agency said that it had annulled the couple’s entry permits, citing alleged contraventions of the Regulations Governing the Approval of Entry of People of the Mainland Area into the Taiwan Area (大陸地區人民進入台灣地區許可辦法). The couple applied to visit a family member in
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