Shi Hwei-yow (
In an exclusive interview with the Taipei Times, Shi said that "there must be somebody more appropriate for this post than me."
Rumors have circulated ever since last year's transfer of power that Shi has his eye on the post of chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC).
The current chairperson, Tsai Ing-wen (
In a possible hint that media criticism has finally taken its toll on him, the cross-strait affairs veteran said, "I have become pretty tough after dealing with China for 10 years, but certain newspaper reports have caused me great offense. Reports that everything I do is in pursuit of a certain post hurt me as a person.
"There must be somebody more appropriate for this post than me," he said.
In the past week the pro-China newspapers China Times and United Daily News both attacked President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) denial of the existence of the so-called "1992 consensus" with Beijing as an election gimmick that risked jeopardizing future cross-strait negotiations.
In a meeting with former US defense secretary William Cohen earlier this month, Chen said there were no documents in Taiwan's official records to substantiate Beijing's claim that Taiwan and China reached a consensus in 1992 on the "one China" principle.
Shi, who was a member of Taiwan's delegation to the negotiations in 1992 at which the consensus is said to have been reached, said that the term "1992 consensus" was coined by Su Chi (
"Su Chi wanted to establish as much room as possible to get the two sides back to the negotiating table, but he didn't define the `1992 consensus,' which was unhelpful and simply caused more conflict," Shi said.
Shi stressed that he was simply stating the facts of the origins of the term and he offered in support of his case -- as if accusing the China Times of inconsistency -- a report from the paper's edition of June 22 last year with the headline, "One China principle, the two sides have no consensus" as evidence.
"From my perspective, I can leave this position any time. I have held the post for a long time and the position itself is so dangerous that there are always people stabbing me in the back," Shi said.
An aide to SEF Chairman Koo Chen-fu (辜振甫), who wished to remain anonymous, dismissed Shi's remarks about his post, but added, "He is just seeking promotion to the MAC chairmanship."
Shi's denial last week of the existence of the consensus prompted concern on the part of Koo, who asked SEF officials not to comment on the issue, though Koo himself on Friday appealed to the government to "take a serious look at the `1992 consensus' and restart negotiations."
Shi has held his current post since February 1998.
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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