The Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday that Taiwan would not cave in to military threats or fall for semantic traps set by China in dealing with the feud over sovereignty.
A Chinese foreign ministry official said Thursday that under the "one China" premise, the two sides might resume dialogue, including the removal of missiles Beijing has deployed along its coastal province of Fujian.
"Neither military intimidation nor linguistic pitfalls are acceptable," said MAC Vice Chairman Lin Chong-pin (林中斌) during a routine news conference. The senior policymaker described as an "improvement" the mellowed rhetoric on the part of Beijing, which often demonstrates a penchant for intemperate word games.
However, Lin said he deplored China's failure to take concrete steps at reconciliation and reciprocate overtures from President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to attend the APEC summit this fall.
To appease Beijing, Chen has said he is willing to visit China and talk with its leaders on the issue of a "future one China." But Beijing insists Chen recognize the "one China" principle before seeking dialogue.
Echoing the president, Lin said it is a good idea for the two sides to sit down and talk over the definition of "one China" in light of their disagreement.
Meanwhile, the Washington Times quoting unnamed US intelligence officials, said yesterday that China had test-fired a new air-launched cruise missile for the first time last month.
The weapon, which the Washington Times called "Beijing's answer to the ship-launched US Tomahawk [cruise missile]" poses a threat to Taiwan
The report quoted officials familiar with the test as saying that the ground-hugging, air-to-surface missile was launched from a B-6 bomber and that the test was deemed successful by US defense and intelligence agencies.
The missile is believed to be capable of carrying a one-ton high-explosive or nuclear warhead over an as yet undetermined distance, according to the report.
Military analysts said China has been working secretly on the new weapon, which is an extended-range version of the C-802 anti-ship cruise missile. The missile is said to be powered by a turbojet engine and is expected to have a range of at least 170km.
Richard Fisher, a specialist on the Chinese military with the private Jamestown Foundation said that the new missile has been dubbed variously the "Hong Niao," meaning "Red Bird," and "Chang Feng," or "Long Wind." The missile is said to be a hybrid of three missiles: the Russian Kh-55 cruise missile, the Tomahawk -- obtained clandestinely from the US -- and a cruise missile purchased from Israel.
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
The CIA has a message for Chinese government officials worried about their place in Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) government: Come work with us. The agency released two Mandarin-language videos on social media on Thursday inviting disgruntled officials to contact the CIA. The recruitment videos posted on YouTube and X racked up more than 5 million views combined in their first day. The outreach comes as CIA Director John Ratcliffe has vowed to boost the agency’s use of intelligence from human sources and its focus on China, which has recently targeted US officials with its own espionage operations. The videos are “aimed at
‘MISGUIDED EDICT’: Two US representatives warned that Somalia’s passport move could result in severe retaliatory consequences and urged it to reverse its decision Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has ordered that a special project be launched to counter China’s “legal warfare” distorting UN Resolution 2758, a foreign affairs official said yesterday. Somalia’s Civil Aviation Authority on Wednesday cited UN Resolution 2758 and Mogadishu’s compliance with the “one China” principle as it banned people from entering or transiting in the African nation using Taiwanese passports or other Taiwanese travel documents. The International Air Transport Association’s system shows that Taiwanese passport holders cannot enter Somalia or transit there. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) protested the move and warned Taiwanese against traveling to Somalia or Somaliland
SECURITY: Grassroots civil servants would only need to disclose their travel, while those who have access to classified information would be subject to stricter regulations The government is considering requiring legislators and elected officials to obtain prior approval before traveling to China to prevent Chinese infiltration, an official familiar with national security said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) in March announced 17 measures to counter China’s growing infiltration efforts, including requiring all civil servants to make trips to China more transparent so they can be held publicly accountable. The official said that the government is considering amending the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) to require all civil servants to follow strict regulations before traveling to China.
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