A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday said President Chen Shui-bian's (
They told a press conference that the US had decided to put off approval of its sale of 66 F16 C/D fighter aircraft to Taiwan because of the UN bid, without giving the source of the information.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday quoted an anonymous source at the air force as saying that the air force has encountered difficulties obtaining an offer letter from the US before October as the US has decided to defer review of the case.
The legislature last month approved a budget of NT$16 billion (US$486.77 million), a tenth of the seven-year plan from this year to 2014, to buy 66 F16 C/D fighters and a resolution stipulating that the budget cannot be used unless the Ministry of National Defense briefs the legislature on the US proposal in October.
"It has been the US' stance to maintain the equilibrium of air power between Taiwan and China over the past 50 years," KMT Legislator Shuai Hua-ming (
"The delay in the sales [of the fighter craft] shows that a serious problem has emerged in the US-Taiwan relationship," Shuai said.
He said that the delay would deprive Taiwan of an advantage in air power and called on the president to stop damaging Taiwan-US relations.
"The US deferred the case because it didn't want to displease China, considering the situation in the Middle East and North Korea. It is also worried that Chen would use approval of the sale as propaganda that the US backs its UN referendum plan," KMT Legislator Lin Yu-fang (
The Presidential Office yesterday declined to respond to the accusations.
Presidential Office spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said that neither the Ministry of Foreign Affairs nor the Presidential Office had received such a message.
Additional reporting by Ko Shu-ling
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
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
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
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
RSS