Word: chen
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...dealt a setback by a committee from Taiwan's cabinet that voted to reject the referendum proposed by Chen's Democratic Progressive Party. But Chen has vowed to forge ahead and find a way to get it on the ballot. "I am sure that next year referendums on several issues will be held in tandem with the presidential election," he told the Washington Post last weekend...
...Gang said the move would "have a grave impact on cross-Straits relations and seriously endanger peace and stability across the Straits and Asia-Pacific region." Still, Beijing's reaction lacked the vitriol that often accompanies its discussion of Taiwan issues. In the past that anger has only strengthened Chen and the electoral prospects of his independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). "Whenever they speak with harsh words ... it would give more credit to the DPP and Chen's leadership," says Andrew Yang, secretary general of the Taipei-based Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies. Beijing, he says, is learning...
Indeed, mainland officials have taken steps to quietly encourage international opposition to the proposal. Part of their cautious approach, says Yang, is to let the U.S. take a lead role in opposing a referendum on U.N. entry. Shortly after Chen announced plans for the referendum U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said that the U.S. "opposes any initiative that appears designed to change Taiwan's status unilaterally. This would include a referendum on whether to apply to the United Nations under the name Taiwan." He added that "we do not support Taiwan's membership in international organizations that require statehood...
Thus far U.S. opposition has done little to dampen Chen's enthusiasm for an island-wide referendum. For Chen, who is coming to the end of his final term as president, it's an issue of legacy, says Loh Chih-cheng, a political science professor at Soochow University in Taipei. "He's pushing to make his name in history," Loh says. (Loh also notes that all this could be the President's canny understanding of voter math in Taiwan: a referendum in 2004 helped get out the vote during chen's re-election campaign.) The opposition Kuomintang (KMT) has accused...
Beijing can't wait for Chen's term to be over - and not just because of its treasured Olymics. There is another prize as well. Both the KMT's presidential candidate, former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou, and the DPP's nominee, former Premier Frank Hsieh, support improved ties with the mainland. "Some window of opportunity exists ahead of us," says Yang. Beijing just has to get over the finish lines without giving in to its Olympic jitters. With reporting by Natalie Tso/Taipei