The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) presidential candidate stands a good chance of winning in next year's election if the party unites and promotes Taiwanese consciousness, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said in an interview with a Singaporean TV station yesterday.
"I have full confidence in Mr. Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and believe he will prevail in the end," the president said in the interview which was broadcast last night.
"However, we must not be careless, because the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is still a powerful party and former KMT chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"Of course, Beijing would hate to see the DPP remain in power," Chen said, adding that China's hope to see the KMT return to power may well be shattered because it might not happen until 2012 or never at all.
On cross-strait issues, Chen said that establishing direct transportation links with China is part of the government's policy, but the crux of the problem lies in Beijing rather than Taiwan.
"Our guiding principle is a `firm position, practical approach' and `effective management, active opening,'" he said. "We do not want to lose our economic independence because we will put the nation's sustainable development at risk if we do so."
Direct transportation links cannot be achieved overnight, Chen said, and will not materialize if chartered cargo plane services cannot be implemented before his term expires.
Chen said Taiwan welcomes the Olympic torch, but it cannot accept Beijing's attempt to denigrate the nation's sovereignty.
A similar Beijing tactic was also to blame for the suspension of talks on allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan, he said.
Asked about his much criticized policy inconsistencies, Chen said he has never changed since he came to power in 2000 and that the promises he made to the world, the US government and US President George W. Bush have remained unchanged.
The government's name-change campaign does not violate the "four noes" pledge he made in 2000, he said, because it does not involve changing the name of the country.
Regarding the corruption scandals enveloping him and his family, Chen said he felt more embarrassed than ashamed. He said he was not worried about the outcome because he had faith in the justice system.
After he steps down from the presidency, Chen said he would like to spend more time with his family and work as a volunteer. He said he would like to do more traveling, but China was not among his priorities.
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
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
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