TAIPEI, Taiwan, March 14 (UPI) -- Taiwan's ruling party responded to Beijing's anti-secession law Monday with a bill authorizing the president to use "non-peaceful" action in its defense. The Democratic Progressive Party's bill give President Chen Shui-bian sweeping powers to take measures including referendums without the Legislature's permission, the Taipei Times said.
The party's draft states Taiwan issue is not a part of China's domestic affairs but an international matter, and it is necessary and urgent to swiftly enact counter-legislation to deter China's annexation efforts. The opposition Taiwan Solidarity Union has also drafted a similar measure saying Taiwan has existed alongside China since the founding of the People's Republic of China Oct. 1, 1949, and states "Taiwan is already an independent sovereign state and it is not an issue for Taiwan to declare independence or seek separation from China."
Meanwhile, 17 Taiwan mayors and magistrates issued a joint statement Monday opposing China's new anti-secession law, saying the "ill-intended" legislation destroys peace in East Asia and stability in the Taiwan Strait, the country's Central News Agency said. |