The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday that it had collected 2.45 million signatures in the second phase of its petition on a referendum proposal seeking UN membership for Taiwan.
DPP Legislator Hsieh Hsin-ni (
The DPP needs to amass more than 800,000 signatures to make the referendum valid. Once the signatures have been validated by the commission, the referendum would be held in conjunction with the presidential election on March 22.
While the DPP proposed joining the UN using the name "Taiwan," the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has suggested using the nation's official title, "Republic of China," or any other "practical" title that would uphold the country's dignity, to "return" to the UN.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people joined the DPP yesterday, including 86-year-old grandmother Huang Po-yun (黃波雲).
With President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen said the DPP did not have the massive amount of party assets the KMT had, nor did it have any spoils to divide between members.
"Your decision to join the DPP today stems from identification with the party's founding spirt and ideas. It is not a trade-off of interests," Chen said.
The president said he was glad the DPP had garnered more than 1 million signatures for its referendum petition since he took over as party chairman on Oct. 17.
"There is only one Taiwan," Chen said. "It is yours, mine, the DPP's and that of the 23 million people of Taiwan. As long as you identify with this land and the nation, everybody has the responsibility to protect Taiwan, its sovereignty, dignity and safety, regardless of your political party, ethnic group or career."
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious