Former president Lee Teng-hui's (
The pledge stated that as long as Beijing had no intention of using military force against Taiwan, Chen would not declare independence, change the national title, ensconce the "state-to-state" model of cross-strait relations in the Constitution, hold a referendum on independence or unification, or abolish the National Unification Council and guidelines.
Lee's office issued the denial yesterday in response to a report in the Chinese-language China Times. The report said that the "one without" was not in the original draft of Chen's speech, and that it was Lee who suggested that Chen include it in order to "safeguard the country's interests."
"President Chen never consulted former president Lee during or after the drafting of the inauguration speech, so how would [Lee] make any suggestions [to the president]?" Lee's press statement asked. "The report is false and we are sorry that it has confused the public."
Chen's intention to abolish the unification council and guidelines has generated considerable concern among certain groups. According to the China Times report, Chen decided to abandon the "one without" condition after he suffered setbacks to his "middle course" policies and after China's refusal to negotiate with the government.
The abolition of the unification council and guidelines, the article said, reflected Chen's desire to "surpass Lee and leave no burden for future generations."
Meanwhile, regarding speculation that Chen will restate his "four noes" pledge when he announces the abolition of the unification council and guidelines, DPP Legislator Lin Cho-shui (
"The `four noes' pledge is all about Taiwan's sovereignty, while the abolition of the unification council is relatively unimportant," Lin said.
"Restating the `four noes' pledge would be no different from selling the country out in return for [the abolition of the unification council]," Lin said.
Meanwhile, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"I don't think the US will accept Chen's restating the `four noes' as a compromise to abandoning the `one without,'" he said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS