President Chen Shui-bian (
"There shouldn't be a red line drawn for Taiwan's democracy," Chen said. "[The fact that there] is means] the 23 million people of Taiwan cannot enjoy full democracy like the people in the United States and other democracies."
If a red line must be drawn, Chen said it should be fixed and Taiwan would then be very careful not to cross it. But it is unfair for the people of Taiwan that somebody keeps moving the line, he said while receiving US Representative Virginia Foxx at the Presidential Office.
Chen said democracy is a basic human right and a universal value, and that referendums are part and parcel of democracy.
While the US has held numerous referendums, Taiwan did not enact the Referendum Law (公投法) until 2003, Chen said. The country's first national referendum was held in 2004, he added.
The Taiwanese right to hold referendums should not be denied, he said.
Chen said it baffled him that the US government supported the independence of Kosovo but was against Taiwan holding a referendum on joining the UN under the name "Taiwan."
During his meeting with former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton later yesterday, Chen said that the US draws one red line, while China draws another.
"It is not that Taiwan keeps stepping on the red line -- the US' red line keeps moving," said Chen, adding that the red line drawn by the US was moving closer to China's.
Chen said a majority of Taiwanese find it hard to accept China's claim to Taiwan. He added that neither the three communiques signed between the US and China, nor UN Resolution 2758 supported such a claim.
"China's military threat and diplomatic suppression of Taiwan are like a man holding a gun with one hand and taking us by the throat with the other, and then telling us not to breathe," he said.
To protect Taiwan and maintain the "status quo" in the Taiwan Strait, Chen said Taiwan had no choice but to hold a referendum on UN membership.
As the leader of the country, Chen said he did not have the right to call off the referendum because it was the will of the Taiwanese people and a resolution passed by the Democratic Progressive Party.
Bolton said it was more of a problem for the UN that Taiwan is not a member because it showed that the organization had not achieved its goal of universal membership.
On US opposition to Taiwan's UN referendum, Bolton said that he "did not think one democracy should tell another democracy not to act like a democracy."
Bolton also criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for making a "very bad mistake" by dismissing Taiwan's UN application and said he hoped Ban would find a way to correct it.
Also see story:
Cabinet displays logo for Taiwan's UN bid
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
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
At least 35 people were killed and dozens more injured when a man plowed his car into pedestrians exercising around a sports center in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai on Monday night. Footage showing bodies lying on the pavement appeared on social media in the hours after the crash, but had vanished by early Tuesday morning, and local police reported only “injuries.” It took officials nearly 24 hours to reveal that dozens had died — in one of the country’s deadliest incidents in years. China heavily monitors social media platforms, where it is common for words and topics deemed
Typhoon Usagi yesterday had weakened into a tropical storm, but a land warning issued by the Central Weather Administration (CWA) was still in effect in four areas in southern Taiwan. As of 5pm yesterday, Tropical Storm Usagi was over waters 120km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the southernmost tip of Taiwan proper, and was moving north at 9kph, CWA data showed. The storm was expected to veer northeast later yesterday. It had maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126kph, the data showed. The CWA urged residents of Kaohsiung, Pingtung County, Taitung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春) to remain alert to
RSS