The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday said that its stance on a “nuclear-free homeland” remains unchanged.
Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the DPP’s candidate for next year’s presidential election, at a forum on Sunday said that government agencies were studying the feasibility of maintaining closed nuclear reactors so they could be restarted in case of an emergency.
This led to speculation that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) promise of a nuclear-free Taiwan by 2025 might not be fulfilled.
Photo: Tsai Tsung-hsien, Taipei Times
Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱), spokesperson for Lai’s election campaign, yesterday said that Lai’s remarks were in response to a student’s question: If Taiwan got into an extreme situation such as a war or a blockade, how can the energy gap be filled?
Lai’s answer was based on a hypothetical situation in which national security is at risk due to “extreme” external conditions, Chen said.
Taiwan should boost its energy self-sufficiency, Lai said, adding that it should develop plans to respond to emergencies and extreme situations.
Decisions made during unusual and extreme situations require social consensus, he said.
Lai did not mention or support extending the use of the Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Shihmen District (石門) or the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里), the reactors of which have been shut down, Chen said.
DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) yesterday said that the party’s promise of a “nuclear-free homeland” remains unchanged and the government would continue to develop and increase the ratio of energy from renewable sources.
Lai repeatedly emphasized the importance of renewable energy development and energy self-sufficiency at the forum, Chang said.
It is the DPP’s priority to expand self-sufficient renewable energy and energy storage equipment, to save electricity and reduce consumption, he said.
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) has said many times that the goal of a “nuclear-free homeland” is a consensus in Taiwan, Cabinet spokesman Alan Lin (林子倫) said yesterday, adding that it has always been the government’s goal.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate for the presidential election, yesterday said that if elected, he would ensure nuclear safety and manage nuclear waste.
Nuclear power is one option among the nation’s diverse energy sources that he supports, Hou said, making his first statement on nuclear power as a presidential candidate.
He said he would ensure that energy sources are in line with global trends, and that there would be no shortage of electricity.
Asked about the DPP’s goal of creating a nuclear-free Taiwan by 2025, he said that “it can’t be done, really can’t be done.”
Meanwhile, regarding the Supreme Court’s ruling to uphold the life imprisonment of a man who was initially sentenced to death for setting fire to his rented residence, killing nine people, Hou said that the death penalty is fair, just and in line with public expectations.
“I’m against abolishing the death penalty,” he added.
Additional reporting by Lai Hsiao-tung and Chung Li-hua
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
RSS