Following the summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that he would not sacrifice the interests of the Taiwanese people by accepting Beijing's terms in exchange for a hand-shake with his Chinese counterpart and a Nobel peace prize.
Chen said that he does not need to go on a pilgrimage to China because there are many hands in Taiwan he needs to shake. Nor does he need a Nobel peace prize because peace in the Taiwan Strait is more important than such a honor.
"If South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korea's Kim Jong-il can, so can Chen Shui-bian," he said.
"Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
Chen said he was not prepared to accept Beijing's "one China" policy and theory of unification because they run counter to his beliefs. Nor does he think a majority of Taiwanese would want to see him to do that, he said.
As national leader, Chen said, he cannot be so selfish and greedy to think only about his own interests because his most important mission is to protect Taiwan or else he would be judged by history as a wrongdoer.
Chen made the remarks in a speech to members of District 3490 of the Rotary International Taiwan at the Ambassador Hotel in Taipei yesterday morning.
Chen said that there is no such thing as "one China with each side's individual interpretations" and the so-called "1992 consensus" does not exist.
They are lies cooked up by the former KMT regime to deceive the people of Taiwan and the international community, Chen said.
The "cross-strait common market" proposed by former premier and KMT vice presidential candidate Vincent Siew (
Taiwan will surrender to the authoritarian regime if the government accepts the precondition that Taiwan is part of China, he said.
Chen said that making money is important, but national sovereignty and security must be upheld in addition to the dignity and interests of the nation.
Tropical depression TD22, which was over waters south of the Ryukyu Islands, is likely to develop into a tropical storm by this morning and pose a significant threat to Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The depression is likely to strengthen into a tropical storm named Krathon as it moves south and then veers north toward waters off Taiwan’s eastern coast, CWA forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. Given the favorable environmental conditions for its development, TD22’s intensity would reach at least typhoon levels, Hsu said. As of 2pm yesterday, the tropical depression was about 610km east-southeast of Taiwan proper’s
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
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