Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) camp asked Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday to stop turning back Hsieh's invitation to debate the UN membership bid.
The DPP also asked Ma to explain whether the KMT's referendum proposal represented a real objective or simply an electoral gambit.
Hsieh campaign manager Lee Ying-yuan (
"Taiwan cannot afford to lose. Taiwan must win," Lee said. "The referendum proposal to join the UN under the name `Taiwan' must pass. It would be an unbearable burden if it failed."
The DPP has proposed holding a referendum on whether to join the UN using the name "Taiwan," while the KMT has suggested another referendum on "rejoining" the body using the country's official name -- the Republic of China (ROC), or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity.
Lee said yesterday the questions the KMT needs to answer are simple. Is the KMT's goal to seek dignity for the 23 million people of Taiwan, or just an electoral ploy, he asked.
The DPP would also like to know Ma's definition of the ROC, he said. Is ROC the same as the ROC that existed before the country withdrew from the UN in 1971? Is the ROC Taiwan's ROC or China's ROC?
On Oct. 12, Hsieh invited Ma to debate the UN issue, but so far Ma has replied that Hsieh should instead discuss the economy.
Hsieh says that while the economy is important, dignity and hope are no less crucial, adding that "We are not pigs or other animals who do not care about the next generation and how to win the respect of others."
Ma told Hsieh to be patient as presidential debates are sure to be held, one way or another.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus continued to lambaste Hsieh yesterday, accusing him of being oblivious to the people's struggle "to make ends meet."
At a press conference, KMT Legislator Lin Te-fu (
Putting several kinds of vegetables on the table, KMT caucus whip Kuo Su-chun (郭素春) said Hsieh's "pig" remarks showed that he lives a wealthy lifestyle and cannot empathize with ordinary citizens.
"We can tell that this so-called `happiness economy' is nothing but shallow words," KMT Legislator Hsieh Kuo-liang (
KMT Legislator Lai Shyh-bao (
"Everyone needs to fulfill their physiological needs before they can seek to meet safety, belonging, self-esteem and self-actualization needs. If people are starving, they will not seek to fulfill these needs at all," Lai said.
In related matters, the Ma camp said it would relocate to a new campaign office.
Lee, meanwhile, said yesterday that the Hsieh camp was still looking for suitable premises and hoped to finalize the matter within a month.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
ANNUAL LIGHT SHOW: The lanterns are exhibited near Taoyuan’s high-speed rail station and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the airport MRT line More than 400 lanterns are to be on display at the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, which officially starts in Taoyuan today. The city is hosting the festival for the second time — the first time was in 2016. The Tourism Administration held a rehearsal of the festival last night. Chunghwa Telecom donated the main lantern of the festival to the Taoyuan City Government. The lanterns are exhibited in two main areas: near the high-speed rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which is at the A18 station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT, and around the Taoyuan Sports Park Station of the MRT
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit