President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said a US government report on China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) proved that "China's rise over the past years has not been peaceful" and that "China is not an opportunity, but a threat."
Chen's remarks, made to visiting Dutch parliamentarian Hans Van Ballen at the Presidential Office yesterday, were his first public comments on the Pentagon's report, which was released on Tuesday.
The US Department of Defense's annual report to Congress on "The Military Power of the People's Republic of China" highlighted growing concern among US officials over the rapid modernization of China's military forces and its belligerence toward Taiwan as the cross-strait military balance has continued to tilt toward China.
"China's military expansion is a serious provocation and a threat to the peace and security of the Taiwan Strait as well as that of the world," Chen said to Van Ballen, who is also vice president of Liberal International, the London-based world federation of liberal parties.
"European Union's decision not to lift its arms embargo against China for the time being is the right one," Chen added.
Noting that the EU originally imposed the arms embargo on China 16 years ago after the Tiananmen Square Massacre, Chen said that since that time, China has not worked to improve its human right record, but rather has continued with its military expansion, and has come to pose a serious threat to world peace.
In addition, Chen said, China enacted its "Anti-Secession" Law this March, providing a legal basis to employ "non-peaceful means" to resolve cross-strait disputes, "if the EU lifts its arms embargo, it will be tantamount to an act of encouragement and support for a non-democratic China to use force against a democratic Taiwan."
The president also expressed appreciation to the Dutch parliament for passing a resolution in late 2003 opposing the lifting of the EU's arms embargo on China.
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
CHIPS AND DEFENSE: Trump said the US had lost its chip business and Taipei should pay it for defense, and added that ‘we’re no different than an insurance company’ Taiwan-US relations are solid, and both sides are in agreement that peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and the Indo-Pacific region are everyone’s concern, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday following comments by former US president Donald Trump that Taiwan “should pay” for US defense. Taiwan is thankful to the US for supporting Taiwan’s bid to participate in international organizations, Cho told a news conference in Taipei. “I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100 percent of our chip business,” Trump told Bloomberg on June 25 in an interview that was published on Tuesday. “I think
SHOW OF SUPPORT: Taiwan has been one of the largest buyers of US defense equipment, supporting American businesses and jobs, US lawmakers said Taiwan has been paying for its own defense, a US Department of State official said on Wednesday, adding that purchases of military equipment are important to the US economy and for ensuring regional security. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked at a news conference about comments by former US president Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in November’s US presidential election, who said during an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek that Taiwan should pay Washington for its defense needs. “The purchases that they [Taiwan] have made not only are important, we believe, to regional security, but are important to the United States economy,”
Hsu Wen-erh (許汶而) on Friday became the first Taiwanese to swim solo across the English Channel, saying she was very happy to bring Taiwan to the world. Hsu completed the challenge in 12 hours, 17 minutes and eight seconds, after swimming across the Strait of Gibraltar in October last year. She said she had planned to swim the English Channel in August next year, but seized the opportunity when a vacancy became available on the waiting list. She went to the UK in May to train for a test that involves swimming for six hours at 16°C, which people who want to swim