President Chen Shui-bian (
The KMT has proposed a referendum on whether to "rejoin" the UN and join other international organizations under the name ROC, Taiwan or another practical title.
"Some say that they will `rejoin' the UN with the name of ROC or Taiwan, but it doesn't make sense because to `rejoin' the UN is to use the name ROC," Chen said. "The application for UN membership with the name ROC is a dead end. Only using the name `Taiwan' for UN application is the way out."
Chen made the remarks while receiving members of the Association of Japan-Taiwan Relations Study yesterday.
Chen criticized the former KMT administration for making a grave mistake by rejecting the US proposal of "dual representation" of Taiwan and China at the UN before Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) pulled out his representative to the UN in 1971.
Chiang also turned down a proposal presented by Saudi Arabia to let the people of Taiwan decide whether Taiwan should remain an independent sovereignty, form a confederation with China or establish a union with China, Chen said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supports joining the UN under the name "Taiwan."
As the DPP is in the second phase of petitioning for the referendum proposal, Chen said he hoped the party would elicit sufficient endorsement by the end of next month to be able to put it before the people in conjunction with the presidential election in March.
The DPP must collect at least 800,000 signatures for the referendum to take place, according to the Referendum Law (
While Beijing and Washington have opposed any UN bid, Chen yesterday thanked the Japanese government for not objecting to the campaign.
Taiwan and Japan are facing similar problems, Chen said, with both braving China's intimidation.
In response to Chen's criticism, KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
"As the country's president, Chen should not discourage the country," Ma said.
He said the KMT proposed that the country apply for the UN and other international organizations under a practical name, such as "Chinese Taipei," or "the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu," which would have more chance of success.
Meanwhile, according a poll released by the Taiwan Thinktank yesterday showed that more than 75 percent of respondents in a recent survey said that Taiwan is an independent sovereignty and 67 percent said they support the government's effort to push Taiwan's UN bid.
The survey, conducted between Aug. 30 and last Sunday, polled 1,068 adults and found that more than 76 percent said they disagreed with China's claim that Taiwan is part of the People's Republic of China (PRC).
Seventy-nine percent said they disagreed with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's remark that Taiwan is part of the PRC, while 10 percent said they agreed and another 10 percent said they did not know or refused to answer.
While the US government opposed Taiwan's plan for a UN membership referendum as it viewed such activity as a move toward a declaration of independence, about 47 percent said they disagreed with the US position, but more than 42 percent said they agreed.
Despite US opposition, nearly 56 percent supported holding a referendum on UN membership.
The poll also showed that more than 71 percent of the respondents said that Taiwan's UN membership would help protect national security.
In related news, a former US ambassador to Taiwan said yesterday that Washington had violated US law by opposing Taiwan's UN bid because Taiwan is qualified to join any international organization.
Harvey Feldman said he believed the actions of the administration of US President George W. Bush ran counter to US law.
"The law says Taiwan should not be excluded from the international financial institutions or any other international organization. It doesn't say anything about requiring or not requiring statehood," he said. "If the law says that Taiwan cannot be excluded from international organizations, it obviously must believe that Taiwan is qualified for any international organization."
Feldman made the remarks while meeting Chen at the Presidential Office.
The only way for Taiwan to make progress with a UN bid, Feldman said, is to persuade the US to change its attitude. He did not think it can be done in this administration but perhaps it could be achieved by the next one, he said.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
See:
‘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
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
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as