Offering little grist for policy analysts, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) used his traditional New Year's address yesterday morning to weigh in on an internal struggle within the pro-independence camp over cross-strait policy.
The president's New Year's address has traditionally been closely watched by political analysts here and abroad, who parse his words looking for any shifts in policy.
This year, however, Chen talked mostly about an alleged rift between himself and Premier Su Tseng-chang (
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
The president said that he and Su did not differ in their attitude toward cross-strait economic policy, despite media reports to the contrary.
"I don't think there is any problem with the current cross-strait economic policy," he said.
"There is only the path of `Taiwan first' and `Taiwan consciousness' in the government's cross-strait economic policy," the president said.
"It is utterly clear that there is no such thing as a so-called `modified Su path,'" he said.
"Modified Su path" is the phrase used by the local Chinese-language media to describe what is allegedly a more liberal and relaxed cross-strait policy embraced by the premier.
The infighting within the pan-green camp recently intensified after the Cabinet announced its decision to allow Taiwanese chipmakers to apply to manufacture chips in China using relatively advanced technology.
Su defended the move, ignoring criticism from former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and other pro-independence figures, who seek to limit interaction with China.
Some analysts have interpreted Su's actions as a possible split with the president.
However, Chen said yesterday that two years ago, the National Security Council (NSC) began to study the possibility of allowing Taiwanese chipmakers to apply for permission to make chips with 0.18-micron process technology in China, instead of continuing to use the old 0.25-micron process technology in their Chinese factories.
The opening was postponed because of Beijing's passage of its "Anti-Secession" Law, Chen said.
"It is two years late, but it is worth it because the chipmakers could keep their roots here in Taiwan," he said.
When approached by the press for a response to Chen's remarks, Su said that the president had told him what his speech would contain the day before.
"The president told me last night that he would include a paragraph regarding cross-strait policies in [yesterday's] speech. The president made it clear in his speech that the government is united and there is nothing wrong with recent cross-strait policies," Su said.
The premier said that there could be no discord over cross-strait policies between him and the president, as policies must be approved by the president and the NSC.
Chen also spoke about national sovereignty in his address, repeating his standard phrase that the territory of Taiwan covers 36,000km2 and that the sovereignty belongs to the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Only the Taiwanese people have the final say on the country's future, he said.
"Taiwan is part of the world, not part of China," Chen said.
"Setting unification with China as the only choice for the country's future not only deprives the Tai-wanese people of their right to self-determination, but also violates the fundamental principle of democratic sovereignty," he said.
Regarding joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," the president said that his administration would "take a different approach" with future applications.
also see story:
Wang supports flexible opening toward China
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
KONG-REY: A woman was killed in a vehicle hit by a tree, while 205 people were injured as the storm moved across the nation and entered the Taiwan Strait Typhoon Kong-rey slammed into Taiwan yesterday as one of the biggest storms to hit the nation in decades, whipping up 10m waves, triggering floods and claiming at least one life. Kong-rey made landfall in Taitung County’s Chenggong Township (成功) at 1:40pm, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The typhoon — the first in Taiwan’s history to make landfall after mid-October — was moving north-northwest at 21kph when it hit land, CWA data showed. The fast-moving storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 184kph, with gusts of up to 227kph, CWA data showed. It was the same strength as Typhoon Gaemi, which was the most
Air and rail traffic around Taiwan were disrupted today while power cuts occurred across the country as Typhoon Kong-rey, predicted to make landfall in eastern Taiwan this afternoon, continued edging closer to the country. A total of 241 passenger and cargo flights departing from or arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport were canceled today due to the typhoon, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. As of 9:30am, 109 inbound flights, 103 outbound flights and 29 cargo flights had been canceled, the company said. Taiwan Railway Corp also canceled all express trains on its Western Trunk Line, Eastern Trunk Line, South-Link Line and attached branches
Typhoon Kong-rey is forecast to make landfall in eastern Taiwan this afternoon and would move out to sea sometime overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 9am today, Kong-rey's outer rim was covering most of Taiwan except for the north. The storm's center was 110km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost tip, and moving northwest at 28kph. It was carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of 184kph, and gusts of up to 227kph, the CWA said. At a news conference this morning, CWA forecaster Chu Mei-lin (朱美霖) said Kong-rey is moving "extremely fast," and is expected to make landfall between
RSS