Calling the meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (
"If the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) abandons its ideals about the nation's official name, I'm here to declare that we will end the partnership with the DPP and pursue the cause by ourselves," TSU caucus whip Lo Chih-ming (
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"We pledge to continue down the road to strive for the nation's consciousness and a normal and undivided country," he said. Lo also rebuked Chen for "seriously sabotaging" the nation's consciousness by reiterating the "four noes and one not" during yesterday's meeting.
The "four noes" are: no declaration of independence; no change of Taiwan's formal name from the Republic of China; no enshrining the description of cross-strait relations as "state-to-state" in nature in the Constitution; and no holding of a referendum on formal independence. The "one not" is not to abolish the National Reunification Council or the National Reunification Guidelines, both established by former president Lee Teng-hui (
Chen's avoidance of politically sensitive issues only proves that Chen has reneged on his own promise to hand the people of Taiwan a new version of the Constitution that is "timely, relevant and viable," Lo added. In addition to berating Chen for "wanting to make a name for himself in history" and betraying the Taiwanese people, Lo said that Soong took advantage of the meeting to upgrade his political status.
"A-bian's [Chen's nickname] declaration that he does not rule out accepting any possibility for the nation's future is tantamount to bringing the nation to the verge of annexation by China," Lo said.
TSU lawmaker Mark Ho (
He also called on Taiwanese people to switch their support to the TSU to help the party push the campaign for a name change and new Constitution.
PFP and DPP lawmakers, on the other hand, lauded the "achievements" made during yesterday's meeting.
Calling the meeting an "extravaganza of truth," PFP legislative caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said that his caucus fully supports the conclusion reached by Soong and Chen.
"From today on, we hope to see more dialogue than opposition between the ruling and opposition parties, as well as more supervision than confrontation," he said.
PFP Legislator Chou Hsi-wei (
"We hope they realize the fact that the meeting is aimed at pursuing the national interest with the most practical approach," he said.
DPP New Tide faction (
"As the Republic of China is already a sovereign state, it is misleading for the president to say that he will not -- rather than there is no need to -- declare independence," he said.
Meanhwile, the PFP's erstwhile ally was also critical. The Bian-Soong meeting was unnecessary, KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"The contents of Chen-Soong's 10-point consensus needs to be approved by the legislature to become law. If the KMT and the PFP unite closely together, then they can all pass. There is no need to seek the DPP," Lien said yesterday at a party discussion for new legislators.
However, Lien added, he trusts Soong, because both he and Soong have "swallowed Chen Shui-bian's bait" before.
Also speaking at the meeting, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Because the governing camp is the minority and the opposition camp is the majority [in the legislature], the DPP is trying to think of ways to make the pan-blue camp disintegrate and to weaken the pan-blue camp. The PFP's central committee should be careful and unite with the pan-blue camp," Wang said.
While the KMT welcomes any positive developments from the Chen-Soong meeting, emphasized the KMT yesterday, it maintains its own position.
"The pan-blue camp achieved a majority in the legislature [in last December's legislative elections] because the KMT promised before to balance and supervise the DPP. If Chairman Lien is to meet with Chen in the future, Chairman Lien will have to take more time to understand what the people want. For now, the KMT will not participate in the talks," said KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council remained reserved in its enthusiasm regarding the 10-point consensus, saying that "it's unclear whether they will help, but at least it is not for the worse."
Council Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (邱太三) pointed out that the significance of the 10-point consensus had been made on a topic on which agreement was very difficult. Chiu said that the council was already working to realize the policies set out in the 10-point consensus' conclusion, especially those laid out in the fourth and fifth points.
additional reporting by Joy Su
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
RSS