Stating that the nation's policies on foreign and cross-strait affairs remain unchanged, MOFA spokesperson Katharine Chang (張小月) yesterday called on the international community not to over-interpret President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) remarks that there is "one country on either side" (一邊一國) of the Taiwan Strait.
Chang said that Chen's remarks merely stated current political reality and it would be incorrect to interpret [Chen's remarks] as a move toward Taiwanese independence."
Chang made the statement yesterday in response to an international debate sparked by Chen's recent insinuation that Taiwan and China are two separate countries.
Chang asked the international community not to misinterpret Chen's remark, adding that the Mainland Affairs Council has given a clear explanation of what the president meant by his comment.
Meanwhile, Chen Lung-chu (陳隆志), national policy advisor to the president, stated yesterday that the most important thing about Chen's "one country on either side [of the Taiwan Strait]" declaration was to make known to the Taiwanese public as well as the international community, the fact that Taiwan has sovereignty over itself and that Taiwan is neither a province nor a part of China.
The presidential adviser said that, since Chen assumed his presidency two years ago, he has been sending goodwill gestures to China. Yet, he has received no goodwill gestures in return.
In fact, he has only been met with consistent acts to oppress and isolate Taiwan, Chen Lung-chu said.
He commented that Chen, as the head of a nation, is forced to safeguard the interests of Taiwan's people and to let Taiwan's voice be heard in the international community.
Chen Lung-chu thus called on Taiwan's public to strongly support the president in his realistic account of the present cross-strait status quo.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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