If China passes an "anti-secession" law as expected, it is possible that Taiwan will mount a "defensive referendum" to counter the legislation, Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) suggested yesterday.
"While we are not exactly sure about the content of the proposed legislation, anything is possible if it passes into law in the form that we expect," Hsieh told the plenary legislative session yesterday morning.
"The reason that we hesitate to propose a detailed counter-measure is because we'd like the international community to know that Taiwan is a peace-loving country while China is hostile to us and is trying to foment hatred and anger in the Taiwan Strait," Hsieh said in response to a question from Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Mark Ho (
Ho asked Hsieh whether it would be possible for Taiwan to hold a referendum to counter China's planned law. According to the Referendum Law (公投法), the head of state has the right to initiate a so-called "defensive referendum" to protect the country's sovereignty when the country faces external threat to its security.
Hsieh also took the opportunity to express the government's "strongest opposition" to the proposed law.
"China's plan to pass an anti-secession law violates the earlier claim made by Chinese leaders that they respect and put their hope in Taiwanese people," he said. "If they pass the law, they are responsible for the consequences."
Hsieh, however, emphasized that the government will first focus on voicing the nation's opposition to the proposed law to the local and international communities.
"I personally think resorting to moral appeals is the most potent approach rather than adopting a dramatic method," he said. "Being irrational might please some, but does not solve the problem. Winning the support and sympathy of the international community is a more practical scheme."
Responding to the "confederate one China" concept proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party Legislator Ting Shou-chung (
"Under the premise of peace and stability, it sounds like a creative idea and is one of many possible alternatives," Hsieh said. "However, I don't think it is appropriate for the government to take the initiative."
Claiming the "confederate one China" model is conducive to easing cross-strait tension, Ting proposed to hold a popular vote and let the people of Taiwan decide whether to form such a mechanism.
While the 10-point consensus reached between President Chen Shui-bian (
He added that he expects to receive a complete report on the matter in two or three months.
"I can honestly tell you that it is hard to push for a change to the national title because we do not enjoy a legislative majority," he said.
Regarding constitutional reform, Hsieh said that while it is difficult for the government to push for such a cause, he said he would like to see the private sector and opposition parties undertake that task.
The Taipei MRT is open all night tonight following New Year’s Eve festivities, and is offering free rides from nearby Green Line stations. Taipei’s 2025 New Year’s Eve celebrations kick off at Taipei City Hall Square tonight, with performances from the boy band Energy, the South Korean girl group Apink, and singers Gigi Leung (梁詠琪) and Faith Yang (楊乃文). Taipei 101’s annual New Year’s firework display follows at midnight, themed around Taiwan’s Premier12 baseball championship. Estimates say there will be about 200,000 people in attendance, which is more than usual as this year’s celebrations overlap with A-mei’s (張惠妹) concert at Taipei Dome. There are
LOOKING FOR WHEELS: The military is seeking 8x8 single-chassis vehicles to test the new missile and potentially replace the nation’s existing launch vehicles, the source said Taiwan is developing a hypersonic missile based on the Ching Tien (擎天) supersonic cruise missile, and a Czech-made truck has been tentatively selected as its launch vehicle, a source said yesterday. The Ching Tien, formerly known as Yun Feng (雲峰, “Cloud Peak”), is a domestically developed missile with a range of 1,200km to 2,000km being deployed in casemate-type positions as of last month, an official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The hypersonic missile to be derived from the Ching Tien would feature improved range and a mobile launch platform, while the latter would most likely be a 12x12 single chassis
UP AND DOWN: The route would include a 16.4km underground section from Zuoying to Fongshan and a 9.5km elevated part from Fongshan to Pingtung Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday confirmed a project to extend the high-speed rail (HSR) to Pingtung County through Kaohsiung. Cho made the announcement at a ceremony commemorating the completion of a dome at Kaohsiung Main Station. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications approved the HSR expansion in 2019 using a route that branches off a line from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營). The project was ultimately delayed due to a lack of support for the route. The Zuoying route would have trains stop at the Zuoying Station and return to a junction before traveling southward to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝).
Parts of the nation, including in the south, could experience temperatures as low as 7°C early tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. A strong continental cold air mass coupled with the effect of radiative cooling would bring cold weather to several northern cities and counties, and could even affect areas as far south as Tainan early tomorrow, the CWA said. Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan, and Hsinchu, Miaoli and Yilan counties would experience temperatures below 10°C until this evening, according to cold surge advisories issued by the weather agency. The weather across the nation is forecast to remain
RSS