News of the Week (Sept. 13-19, 2007)

News of the Week
(Sept. 13-19, 2007)

1.US Deputy Assistant Secretary of States Thomas J. Christensen said on Sept. 11 that Taiwan’s bid to join the UN under the name Taiwan involved a change in the national title, which was strongly opposed by the US. He also pointed out that President Chen Shui-bian’s policy was not conducive to maintenance of regional peace and the status quo, and was branded by the US government as “needless provocations that were patently not in the best interests of the Taiwan people or of the US”. He said that although the US opposed China’s threat to use force against Taiwan, the US didn’t recognize Taiwan as an independent sovereign state. Moreover, the US didn’t concur with the claim by the Taiwan leader that Taiwan independence was the status quo that needed to be maintained.

2.In response to Christensen’s remarks, President Chen said on Sept.12, “I want to tell the US government that nothing will happen after March next year. Even if a plebiscite on ‘Joining the UN under the name Taiwan’ passes, nothing will happen.”

In contrast, KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou said that the US understood the DPP’s drive to apply to join the UN under the name Taiwan was a unilateral change of the status quo. Ma’s remarks hit the point and clearly showed the difference between the DPP’s “Joining the UN under the name Taiwan” plebiscite proposal and the KMT’s more flexible and pragmatic “Returning to the UN” plebiscite proposal.


3.The KMT and the DPP held ‘Returning to the UN’ and ‘Joining the UN’ rallies’ in Taichung City and Kaohsiung City, respectively, on Sept. 15. In order to show its resolution to defend the Republic of China, the KMT distributed hundreds of thousands of national flags to people joining the rally. The scene of its supporters waving national flags contrasted sharply with that of the DPP supporters waving their green party flags.

4.On Sept. 15, KMT Presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou issued a statement after the ‘Returning to the UN’ evening rally, in which he stressed, “The Republic of China has been closely entwined with Taiwan. Therefore, ‘Taiwan is the Republic of China.’ Anyone who harms the ROC harms Taiwan.”

On Sept. 17, Ma attended an assembly for the establishment of a Ma-Shiew ticket support club. After the assembly, Ma said, “The Republic of China is our country’s official title. The ROC government has been in Taiwan for over half a century and has been closely entwined with Taiwan. Ma stressed, “I am running for the president of the ROC, or you could say, president of the ROC on Taiwan, but definitely not for president of the “State of Taiwan.”

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