The Republic of China (ROC) is still the most commonly accepted name to refer to the nation, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, responding to questions about the use of “Taiwan National Day” to refer to Double Ten National Day.
Ko was asked about the Presidential Office’s use of “Taiwan National Day” in English to refer to Double Ten National Day on the official logo of publicity material for the day.
Ko said that every administration has used different terms over the years, from “ROC at Taiwan,” “ROC in Taiwan,” “ROC is Taiwan” to “ROC (Taiwan).”
Photo: Cheng I-hwa, Bloomberg
“At the moment, ROC is the greatest common denominator,” he said, adding that he hopes the holiday can promote a more harmonious society, rather than become a flashpoint for political wrangling.
Double Ten National Day is a day for solidarity and celebration, he said, adding that he hopes everyone, irrespective of their ideology or background, can do their best for society and make Taiwan more united.
Regarding President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) call in her address yesterday morning for “protecting our territory and safeguarding our nation,” Ko said: “Frankly speaking, Taiwan is not yet ready for war.”
“Avoiding war is the goal, but it can only be achieved by preparing for war and having the ability to fight,” he said, adding that the Russian invasion of Ukraine offers Taiwanese an example of how to respond in such a situation, and “that’s when you realize we aren’t ready yet.”
Passengers aboard Korean Airlines Flight KE189 arrived in Taichung safely yesterday after a scare the previous day encountering uncontrolled decompression, which injured 13 passengers. Flight KE189 departed from Incheon at 4:45pm on Saturday bound for Taichung with 125 passengers on board. The flight was above Jeju Island when a fault in the pressurization system occurred 50 minutes after takeoff. Online flight tracker Flightradar24’s data show that the plane dropped more than 8,000 meters within 15 minutes, before it returned and landed back at Incheon Airport at 19:38pm. Thirteen passengers on board had a headache or earache due to the incident and were hospitalized. A different
China might seek to isolate Taiwan and weaken its economy through a “quarantine,” which would make it difficult for the US to respond and force Taipei to negotiate on unification, CNN reported on Saturday. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) “increasingly bellicose actions” toward Taiwan have heightened concerns that Beijing would use its military against Taiwan, it said, citing a report by think tank the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). However, China might choose to initiate a quarantine, rather than a military invasion of Taiwan, to avoid US involvement, it said. “A quarantine [is] a law enforcement-led operation to control
President William Lai (賴清德) should backpedal from his new “two-state theory” and return to the “one China” principle in line with the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution, to foster and rebuild mutual trust across the Taiwan Strait, Ma Ying-jeou Foundation director Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said yesterday. Hsiao made the remark after the Chinese government on Friday revealed guidelines saying that its courts, prosecutors, and public and state security bodies should “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession crimes by the law, and resolutely defend national sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.” The Democratic Progressive Party’s “kneejerk” reaction every
URBAN HEAT: The average temperature in Wanhua District tends to be higher because it is a low-lying area, while Xinyi District is hotter because of overdevelopment, experts say Heat in the nation’s metropolitan areas is becoming increasingly difficult to dissipate due to climate change and increases in areas experiencing urban heat effects, a study conducted by National Cheng Kung University’s Building and Climate Lab (BCLab) showed. The lab used weather data collected on Saturday last week and created a temperature map, which showed high-temperature areas in Taipei, New Taipei City and Taoyuan have expanded and could soon be connected to each other. The phenomenon is similar to a 60km-long corridor near Tokyo experiencing urban heat effects, the study showed. The lab’s temperature map showed that Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華), which