Delivering the main opening address to China's National People's Congress (NPC) yesterday morning, Premier Wen Jiabao (
His comments came as the NPC prepared to consider an "anti-secession" law that would likely mandate a military response if Taiwan formally seceded from China. The measure is the culmination of a show of resolve by Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) after he became China's military leader late last year.
Wen gave no details of the planned law, which Taipei says could set the stage for a military attack.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Wen said the law reflected the "strong determination of the Chinese people to ... never allow secessionist forces working for `Taiwan independence' to separate Taiwan from China."
Wen's two-hour speech, interrupted repeatedly by applause, focused on domestic concerns. But in a passing reference to foreign affairs, Wen sounded standard themes, saying China would oppose terrorism and hegemony -- Beijing's term for sweeping US global power.
Wen vowed to push forward with the costly modernization of the huge but antiquated People's Liberation Army, whose 2.5 million members make up the world's biggest fighting force.
On Friday the government announced a 12.6 percent increase in military spending -- its fourth double-digit increase in five years as it tries to back up threats to attack Taiwan.
It said it plans to spend 247.7 billion yuan (US$30 billion) on its military this year, though analysts say China's true spending is as much as several times the reported figure.
Wen said military modernization was key to "safeguarding national security and reunification" -- a reference to Taiwan.
"We will intensify scientific and technical training for soldiers to turn out a new type of highly competent military personnel," Wen said.
On Friday, Hu also took a militant stance against what he called "secessionist forces" in Taiwan, but also cited "new and positive factors" that could reduce cross-strait tensions.
Making rare extended comments about Taiwan to NPC delegates on Friday, Hu reiterated a hard line on Taiwanese independence, which he said China would "never tolerate." The comments appeared to underscore his plan to pass the anti-secession law. But he did not mention the legislation, describe its contents, or discuss the merits of enacting it.
Instead, he struck a relatively moderate tone, perhaps reflecting the fact that Taiwan and China, under heavy US pressure, have softened their rivalry since Hu first broached the idea of the law in December.
Hu said there were "certain signs of relaxation" in Taiwan's approach. While he did not specify the developments, he appeared to be referring to a shift in tone by President Chen Shui-bian (
Hu seemed to signal that he was willing to open a dialogue with Chen, though only under the strict conditions China has set for talks for many years -- that Taiwan accept the "one China" policy.
"No matter who he is and which political party it is, and no matter what they said and did in the past, we're willing to talk with them on issues of developing cross-strait relations and promoting peaceful reunification as long as they recognize the one-China principle," Hu said.
The comments do not amount to a substantive concession and may be overshadowed by passage of the anti-secession law, which both Taipei and Washington have called a provocation. But the tone of the comments suggest that Hu is probing for an improvement in relations.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
GEOPOLITICAL CONCERNS: Foreign companies such as Nissan, Volkswagen and Konica Minolta have pulled back their operations in China this year Foreign companies pulled more money from China last quarter, a sign that some investors are still pessimistic even as Beijing rolls out stimulus measures aimed at stabilizing growth. China’s direct investment liabilities in its balance of payments dropped US$8.1 billion in the third quarter, data released by the Chinese State Administration of Foreign Exchange showed on Friday. The gauge, which measures foreign direct investment (FDI) in China, was down almost US$13 billion for the first nine months of the year. Foreign investment into China has slumped in the past three years after hitting a record in 2021, a casualty of geopolitical tensions,
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