President Chen Shui-bian (
Observing a military exercise in Taichung County yesterday, Chen said, "There will be another wave of `China fever' this summer. Some legislators are proposing visits to China, but I think there is presently no need for further communication or understanding between Taiwan and China."
"China has been attempting to bring disunity to Taiwanese people. I hope that all Taiwanese people, legislators, local representatives and public-sector workers can recognize China's trickery, and not serve as tools for disuniting Taiwanese people," he said.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FENG, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said reconciliation between China and Taiwan required more honesty and goodwill.
However, he said, Beijing had not only been stirring up difficulties among Taiwanese but also suppressing the country internationally, adding more uncertainty to the potential for dialogue between both sides.
China's expanding military and the increase in missiles targeting Taiwan had tipped the military balance in China's favor, he said, causing consternation in the US and Japan. As a result, he said, Taiwan urgently needed to procure advanced arms to defend the country.
Chen and Vice President Annette Lu (
Ministry of National Defense spokesman Rear Admiral Liu Chih-chien (劉志堅) said more than 5,000 reserves reported for duty after they were summoned. The 97 percent attendance rate was a record high, he said, a fact that pleased Chen.
The live-fire drill yesterday was based on a scenario in which China launches a surprise raid on the Taichung County coastline.
At the beginning of the drill, "enemy forces" attempted to land along the coast. They were to be engaged by reserves along the waterfront and in nearby houses. The reserves also used fishing nets and fishing boats to block enemy routes, preventing the boats and their personnel from landing.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
RSS