Comparing Beijing's oppression of Taiwan to a villain holding a man at gunpoint, President Chen Shui-bian (
"The way China treats us is like a man holding a gun with one hand and shoving us into a corner with the other," he said. "He seizes us by the throat and tells us not to breathe. What do you think we should do?"
Taiwan must not give up, Chen said, adding that the nation's 23 million citizens will not surrender without putting up a fight.
China cannot expect Taiwanese to feel an affinity for an authoritarian regime that relies on tactics of military intimidation and diplomatic suppression, he said.
Chen made the remarks while receiving a US delegation of Republican elite at the Presidential Office yesterday morning.
Chen told the foreign guests that cross-strait relations were unlikely to improve in the foreseeable future as the public would not abandon the nation's sovereignty.
While Beijing considers Taiwan a province, the Taiwanese will never accept or agree to Beijing's demand that Taiwan relinquish its sovereignty like Hong Kong or Macau, Chen said.
"Such fundamental differences make it very difficult for both sides to establish a new political relationship," Chen said.
Next year's presidential election will be crucial, Chen said, as the nation has arrived at a crossroads.
The public must elect leaders who will lead the nation on the correct path, guided by Taiwan-centric principles, and shun those who embrace surrender by propagating for a "greater China," he said.
The election will also be a battle between those who believe in Taiwan and have a positive vision for the nation's future, and those who have no confidence in Taiwan and take a negative view of its prospects.
On the issue of Taiwan-US relations, Chen called on Washington to review its policies concerning Taipei, adding that its attitude toward Taiwanese democracy is a crucial factor in determining the nature of future relations between the two countries.
"There is a blind spot in Taiwan-US relations. There is a line there and we don't know how to deal with it yet," Chen said. "We are caught in a dilemma. We don't know whether we should continue down the road of democracy, or stop right here and turn back."
While the US government and US President George W. Bush have repeatedly praised Taiwan's democratic reforms as a success story, Chen said it is impossible to enjoy democracy with inhibition.
Taiwan's future and the direction of cross-strait relations must be decided via the most democratic means -- a referendum, he said.
"But the US government sees it differently," Chen said. "The US government must review and reconsider this key issue if it wants to see its relations with Taiwan develop in a sound direction."
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
‘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
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS