The Cabinet and the DPP yesterday decided to launch a comprehensive campaign against the construction of the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (
The Cabinet will concentrate on convincing legislators of the wisdom of axing the budget for the project.
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
"The legislature has passed a total of 22 budget bills between 1991 and 2000 and the Cabinet has not completely executed all of those bills," Chang said.
"The Cabinet has the administrative right (
Chang made his comments after attending the DPP's Forum for Party and Political Negotiation (
Chang refused to give in to demands from opposition parties on Tuesday for a decision on the plant by Nov. 3, saying only that the Cabinet would make a final decision on the project and an announcement as soon as possible.
At the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday, Chang said the Cabinet would act in unison with the DPP's legislative caucus and would make no concession to opposition demands as long as the legislative caucus saw fit not to do so.
"The Cabinet will act in accordance with the DPP's legislative caucus. As long as the caucus refuses to accept the opposition lawmakers' conditions, the Cabinet will not give in, either," government spokesman Su Tzen-ping (蘇正平) said at the press conference after the Cabinet meeting.
DPP Secretary-General Wu Nai-jen (
"I think the Cabinet would make the final decision at the end of November. However, it is up to the Presidential Office and the Cabinet to decide when to make the announcement," Wu told reporters after a meeting of the party's Central Standing Committee yesterday.
DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
"The controversy over the project has to be settled as soon as possible," Hsieh said.
At yesterday's standing committee meeting, the party also passed a resolution to initiate a series of lobbying programs for scrapping the plant. The programs include a series of TV ads, to begin next month, to warn the public of the dangers surrounding nuclear powered electricity generation as well as preparing information pamphlets to promote the party's anti-nuclear stance and soliciting the support of environmental and social groups.
"We will make clear that our anti-nuclear stance is based on the party's emphasis on sustainable environmental development and that alternative power generation projects are feasible so there will not be any lack of electricity if the plant is canceled," Hsieh said at a press conference after meeting.
"As far as waste sites are concerned, Taiwan is incapable of handling nuclear waste," he said.
Yet not all the DPP is in lockstep over the power plant. The Mainstream Alliance (
The alliance's spokesperson, Legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) said: "There are many ways to solve the problem. Holding a plebiscite or continuing the fourth plant and shutting down the first and second plants are both possible solutions."
CSBC Corp, Taiwan (台灣國際造船) yesterday released the first video documenting the submerged sea trials of Taiwan’s indigenous defense submarine prototype, the Hai Kun (海鯤), or Narwhal, showing underwater navigation and the launch of countermeasures. The footage shows the vessel’s first dive, steering and control system tests, and the raising and lowering of the periscope and antenna masts. It offered a rare look at the progress in the submarine’s sea acceptance tests. The Hai Kun carried out its first shallow-water diving trial late last month and has since completed four submerged tests, CSBC said. The newly released video compiles images recorded from Jan. 29 to
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to make advanced 3-nanometer chips in Japan, stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing roadmap in the country in a triumph for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s technology ambitions. TSMC is to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fab in Kumamoto, company chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said yesterday. That is an upgrade from an original blueprint to produce 7-nanometer chips by late next year, people familiar with the matter said. TSMC began mass production at its first plant in Japan’s Kumamoto in late 2024. Its second fab, which is still under construction, was originally focused on
DETERRENCE EFFORTS: Washington and partners hope demonstrations of force would convince Beijing that military action against Taiwan would carry high costs The US is considering using HMAS Stirling in Western Australia as a forward base to strengthen its naval posture in a potential conflict with China, particularly over Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday. As part of its Indo-Pacific strategy, Washington plans to deploy up to four nuclear-powered submarines at Stirling starting in 2027, providing a base near potential hot spots such as Taiwan and the South China Sea. The move also aims to enhance military integration with Pacific allies under the Australia-UK-US trilateral security partnership, the report said. Currently, US submarines operate from Guam, but the island could
RESTRAINTS: Should China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, China would be excluded from major financial institutions, the bill says The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the PROTECT Taiwan Act, which states that Washington would exclude China from participating in major global financial organizations if its actions directly threaten Taiwan’s security. The bill, proposed by Republican Representative Frank Lucas, passed with 395 votes in favor and two against. It stipulates that if China’s actions pose any threat to Taiwan’s security, economic or social systems, the US would, “to the maximum extent practicable,” exclude Beijing from international financial institutions, including the G20, the Bank for International Settlements and the Financial Stability Board. The bill makes it clear that China must be prepared
RSS