President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the remarks at a press conference on the Marshall Islands, where he was attending a summit with leaders of the nation's six diplomatic allies in the Pacific.
"The tavern must be closed when the time comes," he said. "I will not only hand over the presidency but also the party chairmanship to president Hsieh. There is no doubt about it."
PHOTO: CNA
Chen, who announced his decision to accept the party chairmanship on Thursday, said yesterday he would not lead the government with the party's policy goals.
Echoing former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) comment that former presidents should not meddle in the affairs of the sitting president, Chen said he would not criticize Hsieh or tell him what to do after he leaves office. He added that he would exercise a sense of propriety and do what he said.
His second job is simple, he said, which is to unite the party, lead it in winning next year's legislative and presidential elections, and push for passage of the party's UN referendum proposal.
Chen said that next year's presidential election was different from the polls in 2000 and 2004 when the party had to contend with outside competition.
"Near year's election is a completely different ball game," Chen said. "The enemy lies within."
Chen said that the repercussions of the party's fierce presidential primary had caused a yawning chasm within the party, and the fracture must be mended or it would have a hard time winning.
It was a pity the party wasted much time over the past few months on idle spin, he said.
Chen called former DPP chairman Yu Shyi-kun irreplaceable, adding that it would be a pity if Yu did not participate in the election campaign. He promised to recruit talented people to the party, including his new special assistant who is Yu's former adviser.
Commenting on the DPP's referendum proposal of seeking UN membership under the name "Taiwan," Chen said that no force could stop the rising trend of Taiwan-centered consciousness, adding that this was critical to winning next year.
He said that pushing the referendum was a joint consensus with Hsieh, dismissing speculation that Hsieh was forced to bow to the president's will.
Chen said it was impossible for the two to be divided over the issue because it concerns national interest and Taiwan's sovereignty.
Emphasizing that Taiwan and China are two different nations, Chen said that using the name "Taiwan" to apply for UN membership is a good way to remove the stumbling block of "one China."
The administration should have done it a long time ago, he said.
‘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
RSS