President Chen Shui-bian (
"Lien has given us many different versions of his stance on the cross-strait relationship issue, but he has never told the public which one of his avowed beliefs is the truth," Chen said during a campaign activity in Taipei City yesterday.
The president said Lien had approved of former president Lee Teng-hui's (
"Now he even asks the people of the country to accept his idea of `putting aside sovereignty' to negotiate with China," Chen said.
"Moreover, his running mate, Soong, once advocated the `one China' theory, which stated that Taiwan is a part of China, as well as a `quasi-international relationship' to describe the cross-strait status quo in the 2000 presidential election," Chen said.
Chen reminded the public that Lien at once severely criticized Soong for his advocacy of "capitulation."
"Lien even called Soong an opportunist who would absolutely sell out Taiwan if he won the presidential election," Chen said.
"Those two politicians, who apparently have no concrete dedication to their country, are now hand-in-hand and want to run for head of state," he said. "How can we trust them?"
Chen stressed that his commitment to protect Taiwan's sovereignty remains unchanged, while his opponents had always been inconsistent on this issue.
"Anything but the nation's sovereignty can be put aside," said Chen.
During last week's TV debate, Lien said that both sides should put aside sovereignty issues and precede with negotiating administrative affairs in response to one of Chen's questions about how to meet a timetable for establishing direct links, in light of Beijing's "one China" principle.
Chen attacked Lien for giving up Taiwan's sovereignty, saying that such an approach was hazardous.
Lien has said over the past few days that Chen viciously misinterpreted his remarks.
"What I was saying is that both sides should put aside those issues related to the sovereignty dispute and focus on those negotiations touching on administrative affairs," Lien said during yesterday's campaign activity.
"Chen Shui-bian is just playing his old trick of putting a label on me," Lien said.
However, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday kept attacking Lien's phrase "putting aside sovereignty," saying that its presidential campaign headquarters was prepared to make 100,000 VCD copies of the TV debate to distribute to the public.
"We believe that they can make their own judgment after watching the VCD," said DPP Department of Information and Culture Deputy Director Cheng Wen-tsan (
Meanwhile, Chen yesterday announced that Nobel laureate and Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (
"Nine influential figures from different fields have promised to join the task force and Lee Yuan-tseh will be its convener," Chen said, adding that the task force will begin formal operations after March 20.
Chen vowed last Friday to form a task force to create a "peace and stability framework for cross-strait interaction," which is a part of the second question of the referendum.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
Many Chinese spouses required to submit proof of having renounced their Chinese household registration have either completed the process or provided affidavits ahead of the June 30 deadline, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. Of the 12,146 people required to submit the proof, 5,534 had done so as of Wednesday, MAC deputy head and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. Another 2,572 people who met conditions for exemption or deferral from submitting proof of deregistration — such as those with serious illnesses or injuries — have submitted affidavits instead, he said. “As long as individuals are willing to cooperate with the legal
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
RSS