Saying freedom doesn't come for free, President Chen Shui-bian (
"There is a cost for freedom that many of us take for granted," Chen said. "History has told us that without sufficient defensive capability, any peace agreement can easily be torn up by an invader and becomes a useless piece of paper."
Chen was referring to the "peace agreement" proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Chen said that it was hard to understand why opposition parties opted to cooperate with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and boycott the arms deal.
"Partisan interest is short-lived but national interests are permanent," Chen said. "We have no objection to the KMT-CCP cooperation because it is their choice, but they must not jeopardize national interest and security as well as peace and stability in the region."
Chen made the remarks at the Presidential Office yesterday morning when addressing a video conference with Japanese parliamentarians, academics and reporters. The event was organized by Japan's Waseda University.
Despite the various excuses made by the opposition parties, Chen said that the crux of the problem lies in the pan-blue camp's ultimate goal of unifying with China and their cooperation with the CCP.
"They think we would not need any weapons if we eventually unify with China and if the two parties cooperate," Chen said.
Over the past half century, Chen said that no other country has wanted peace more than Taiwan, which is under the shadow of China's military intimidation.
The biggest hurdle to cross-strait peace lies in China's insistence on its one-party dictatorial rule, he said.
Chen vowed to strengthen the nation's defensive capabilities and to do his best to maintain the status quo in the Taiwan Strait.
"But we would also like to see the international community face up to the essence of the cross-strait issue and work concertedly for a more democratic and peaceful world," he said.
Chen said that he had learned a lesson from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent visit to China.
"That is, sincerity, goodwill and mutual respect can help resolve mutual differences," he said. "As Japan and China can put aside their minor differences to seek common ground, I believe both sides of the Taiwan Strait can do so and return to the negotiation table, without setting any preconditions."
In addition to China's increasing military budget, Chen said that his administration is also concerned about China's "Anti-Secession" Law which sanctions the use of military action to invade Taiwan.
Chen pointed out that China is augmenting its combat readiness in a three-stage preparation for war. Its goal is to establish contingency-response combat capabilities by next year, build up its combat capabilities for large-scale military engagement by 2010 and ensure victory in a decisive battle by 2015.
Meanwhile, Chen's accusations sparked anger among KMT lawmakers attending the Legislature's National Defense Committee review of the next fiscal year's national defense budget request.
"The committee should censure Chen and boycott reviewing the national defense budget," the KMT's Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) said after learning of Chen's comments.
Vice Minister of National Defense Ko Cheng-heng (柯承亨) denied such information had been provided by the ministry to the president.
Meanwhile, KMT Legislator Su Chi (
Chen made his comments to set a trap for the KMT so he could tell the public that it was the KMT's fault once the party decides to boycott the bill due to his accusations.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A pro-Russia hacker group has launched a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on the Taiwanese government in retaliation for President William Lai’s (賴清德) comments suggesting that China should have a territorial dispute with Russia, an information security company said today. The hacker group, NoName057, recently launched an HTTPs flood attack called “DDoSia” targeting Taiwanese government and financial units, Radware told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). Local tax bureaus in New Taipei City, Keelung, Hsinchu and Taoyuan were mentioned by the hackers. Only the Hsinchu Local Tax Bureau site appeared to be down earlier in the day, but was back
RSS