President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen, who made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Formosa TV, also questioned the meaning of a visit to China that might demand that the nation's leadership accept some conditions set by Beijing.
``China did not make any concessions,'' he said. "[The formulation] would make Taiwan a special administrative region of China, a part of the People's Republic of China.''
"China's basic attitude has remained the same," he said.
"Why should we go there if we have to accept conditions such as the [so-called] `1992 consensus' and opposition to Taiwan independence?" he said, adding that "we will not go there to surrender."
In response to whether he would visit China and meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
He also said he does not think any Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member's visit to China will have a better result, since Beijing still demands that the opposition leaders and their parties, who speak the same language and have close ideological and common backgrounds as their Chinese counterparts, accept certain conditions on dealing with cross-strait issues despite their visits.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Although the Taiwanese people and companies hope Taipei and Beijing can engage in a dialogue to reduce misunderstanding between them, without any concessions China would offer to better its understanding of Taiwan at the present time and only wants the island to accept requests that are not beneficial to Taiwan, he said.
Saying that if he has opportunity to visit China, he will insist on his stance of protecting Taiwan's national sovereignty and the interests of the people of Taiwan, Chen promised never to make concessions on his stance on China.
He said he would hold talks with Chinese officials only on condition that his stance is respected.
Taiwan will negotiate with China if Beijing does not raise any conditions or premises, Chen said, noting, however, that China insists on its "one China" principle, while Taiwan firmly stands by peace, democracy and equality.
Chen said China's "Anti-Secession" Law goes against the principles of peace, democracy and equality and has jeopardized the cross-strait status quo since its enactment in March.
While China might disagree with Taiwan's opinions, it should listen to the Taiwanese people, Chen said, adding that if Beijing only wants to hear what it wants to hear, cross-strait dialogue will not be possible.
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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