The Presidential Office yesterday accused a Chinese-language newspaper of falsely reporting that the president had tried to blackmail Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"We are asking the China Times to run an apology and a correction in [today's] edition, of the same size and on the same page as [the article which ran yesterday]," said Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Chou Jung-tai (卓榮泰). "If they fail to do so, we will adopt the highest legal standards, because we can only rely on the judicial system to find out the truth behind this matter."
Chou was referring to an article in yesterday's China Times, which claimed that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had tried to "intimidate" Wang in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election.
The report, whose headline read "Bian-style `coercion'; Wang Jin-pyng fuming, punches table," quoted anonymous sources as saying that Chen had shown "legal documents" to Wang, apparently outlining evidence of wrongdoing, and then asked him not to serve as the campaign manager for former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
Describing the report as "out of focus" and "ridiculous," Chou said that the decision to demand an apology and to possibly take legal action against the paper was a difficult one.
"Please don't mistake us as targeting one single newspaper," he said. "We would like to work with the media to safeguard their credibility and hope that they will stop fabricating stories."
Chou yesterday criticized the paper, saying it had failed to double-check the facts and was making false accusations.
"As Speaker Wang is a respectable political figure, the president fully understands and respects Speaker Wang's political status, responsibilities and obligations," Chou said. "It is impossible that the president made any disrespectful remark or behaved discourteously."
Chou said he had no idea why the matter was reported in such a sensational manner.
"I guess only the reporter who wrote the story knows what her true intention was," he said.
"As for ordinary people like me," the senior presidential aide said, "I don't think it's helpful for social stability and political harmony."
When asked by the Taipei Times whether Chen had met Wang as described and exactly what the two had talked about, Chou said that the two men had met on numerous occasions over the years, and that it was impossible for him to give a clear account of each of their conversations.
Wang yesterday did not deny the China Times report.
"The report mentioned some facts, as everyone knows. But some part [of the report] was a bit exaggerated," Wang said when confronted by reporters at CKS International Airport for comment on the report.
Wang left for Japan yesterday.
The China Times last night issued a statement saying that its report was accurate and that it would run a follow-up story today. The statement added that what Wang said yesterday at CKS airport "proved the report is true."
Commentators have speculated that Wang might form a political alliance with the pan-green camp because of his alleged involvement in some scandals.
Wang yesterday said he has been been consistent in his contributions to the country and the public in the past, and that his loyalty to his party and his ideology have passed many trials.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hung Hsiu-chu (
"Wang told us about this at one time, but he didn't use the term `threat,'" Hung said.
"Wang was very angry at the president about the matter, but he said he is not afraid [of the president]," Hung said.
Meanwhile, Chou also criticized the media for making "emotional" accusations against the Presidential Office and its officials recently, citing another report published by the China Times alleging that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) had refused to meet Presidential Office Secretary-General Mark Chen (陳唐山).
Chou also cited recent reports claiming Chen had "intimidated" Lee when he had visited the former president on his sick bed, over alleged secret funds set up by the National Security Bureau during Lee's presidency.
Chou said the report was "totally remote from the facts."
Chou was referring to an article first published in the Chinese-language newspaper United Daily News, alleging that the president had made the threat in April. The China Times later ran a follow-up article that said the incident had actually happened three years ago.
Chou said Chen and Wang are on good terms, and that the administration's relationship with Lee was "normal and good."
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS