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Taiwan court convicts Chen, imposes life sentence By PETER ENAV, Associated Press 1 hr 54 mins ago TAIPEI, Taiwan – A Taiwan court imposed a life sentence on former President Chen Shui-bian after convicting him of corruption Friday, marking a watershed in the island's turbulent political history. Chen's wife Wu Shu-chen was also convicted of corruption and received the same life sentence, said court spokesman Huang Chun-ming. "Chen Shui-bian and Wu Shu-chen were sentenced to life in prison because Chen has done grave damage to the country, and Wu, because she was involved in corruption deals as the first lady,"...

/begin my summary Taiwan FTV: Slugfest on Live Broadcast On Aug. 24, at a political talk show 'Sovereign's Talk' aired on Taiwan's FTV, Lin Zheng-jie, a former legislator(left), is punching Jin Heng-wei, the General Editor of 'Dang-dai.' Two were panelists at the show. They were having heated arguments over whether President Chen Sui-bian should step down. Suddenly, Lin started to punch Jin, and both exchanged punches and kicks. It got bloody and went on for a minute. Since the broadcast was live, it was aired uncensored. TV viewers were shocked. As for the result, it was the rout by Lin, who goes...

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/160b7bbc-b183-11d9-8c61-00000e2511c8.htmlTaiwan's opposition leader to meet China's HuBy Kathrin Hille in Taipei Published: April 20 2005 11:43 | Last updated: April 20 2005 11:43Lien Chan, chairman of Taiwan's opposition Kuomintang, will meet China's President Hu Jintao next week, a move set to force the island's government to make a quick decision on its cross-Strait policy.After China passed an "anti-secession law" enshrining the threat of force against Taiwan, Taipei suspended cross-Strait trade and investment liberalisation. The government wanted political concessions from Beijing in exchange for reviving dialogue. China has disrupted this strategy by taking advantage of Taiwan's internal divisions. By showering...

In rare trip, Taiwan's president headed to Vatican By Annie Huang, Associated Press | April 7, 2005 TAIPEI -- Taiwan's leader will make an unprecedented visit to the Vatican to attend Pope John Paul II's funeral, the government said yesterday, in a move that would likely irk rival China. President Chen Shui-bian will attend the pope's funeral tomorrow, the Foreign Ministry said. It will be the first trip to Europe by a Taiwanese president, who rarely make foreign visits because of China's objections. The Vatican is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in Europe. But under pressure from Beijing, Italy had refused...

China could prevent Chen from going to the Pope's funeral By Huang Tai-lin STAFF REPORTER Wednesday, Apr 06, 2005,Page 3 It seems perfectly justified and reasonable for a head of state to pay tribute in person to the leader of its allies. But when it comes to Taiwan, it is more than just a matter of booking a hotel room and then hopping on a plane. The problem is China. "The usual obstruction from Beijing is most likely to be expected," said Thomas Hung (ºéïÐÛ), an international relations graduate research fellow at National Chengchi University. The Holy See is Taiwan's...

Chen must respond to PRC maneuvering, analysts say RESPONSE: Intimidation from Beijing has prompted two presidential advisors to tender their resignations. Decisive action from Chen is necessary, observers insist By Huang Tai-lin STAFF REPORTER Sunday, Apr 03, 2005,Page 3 A series of events taking place this week had some political observers expressing concern over a possible emergence of support for Beijing in Taiwan in the wake of China's newly-enacted "Anti-Secession" Law. Noting the controversial visit a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation made to China two days after hundreds of thousands of Taiwanese took to the streets to oppose the Anti-Secession...

Taiwan rallies against China law Taiwan is venting its frustration at China's anti-secession law Hundreds of thousands of people are attending a mass protest in Taiwan against China's anti-secession law passed earlier this month. The law allows China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province, to use "non-peaceful" means to stop any move by the island towards independence. Senior politicians urged their followers to join the protest. The island's government has been heartened by broad international criticism of China's new legislation. Joseph Wu, who heads Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council, the body responsible for the island's dealings with China, says it...

Bush wins big as China overplays its hand By Jim Lobe WASHINGTON - The apparent decision by European leaders to delay the lifting of their 16-year-old arms embargo on China beyond June marks a clear-cut foreign-policy victory for US President George W Bush, who made the issue a major priority in his visit to Europe last month. China itself may have inadvertently made Bush's victory possible. Its enactment last week of an Anti-Secession Law that lays the foundation for a possible military attack on Taiwan if, in Beijing's judgment, it were to move toward formal independence, gave the administration powerful...

Taiwan independence forces rejoice By Laurence Eyton TAIPEI - The passage by the National People's Congress of an Anti-Secession Law authorizing China to use "non-peaceful" means to prevent Taiwan from establishing de jure independence from the "motherland" has generated outrage in Taiwan itself and international concern. But one group has benefited immensely: the Taiwan independence movement. That this is exactly the reverse of what China intended is a measure both of how badly thought out China's action has been and how little it understands Taiwan. In Taiwan itself, while the general public reaction to the law is one of almost...

Chen shooting 'not a bid at assassination' TAIPEI - A leading US forensic expert called to investigate the election-eve shooting of Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian said he could not solve the mystery surrounding the case. Mr Henry Lee said in New York that a conclusive report was impossible because of the many 'variables and unknown factors' in the case. He did not elaborate. In comments aired by Taiwanese television stations yesterday, he said the March 19 attack could not have been an assassination attempt because this would normally involve 'powerful weapons'. Police found two small bullets - one lead and...

Military might and political messages By Mac William Bishop TAIPEI - Military exercises often have as much political use as tactical utility, and this week, China, Taiwan and the US all have conducted major exercises in or around the Taiwan Strait. These maneuvers send messages about the various countries' intentions in the Taiwan Strait. China's exercises began on July 16 and were scheduled to end Friday, July 23. Meanwhile, the United States' global Summer Pulse 2004 exercises, which began in mid-July and will last until mid-August, have moved to the Western Pacific region this week. Taiwan also is holding its...

China 'Will Remember' Lawmakers Who Visited TaiwanConcerning demands made by the Chinese Embassy last month that Korean politicians not attend the inauguration on the Taiwanese president, the information officer of the Chinese Embassy in Korea said Wednesday that, "China would not take immediate measures against the relevant individuals, but it would remember." In a telephone interview with the Chosun Ilbo, the information officer, when asked if China would refuse to grant visas to those politicians who visited Taiwan, answered, "We remember when big and small things occur. Don't we have emotions, too?" It was revealed Tuesday that the Chinese Embassy...

China Denounces Taiwanese President Mon May 24, 3:00 AM ET By JOE McDONALD, Associated Press Writer BEIJING - China denounced Taiwan's president for showing "no sincerity to improve relations" in his inauguration address and warned on Monday that peace between the two sides was in danger. Beijing set a confrontational tone for the start of President Chen Shui-bian's second term, affirming its threat to use force if necessary to unify with the self-ruled island that it claims as its territory. The remarks by the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office were China's first direct response to Chen's speech Thursday, which included conciliatory...

Taiwan Protester Violence Targets Police Sat Apr 10, 6:08 PM ET By WILLIAM FOREMAN, Associated Press Writer TAIPEI, Taiwan - Tossing bottles and rocks, hundreds of Taiwanese protesters were blasted by police water cannon Saturday after a rally demanding an independent investigation of the bizarre shooting that injured President Chen Shui-bian one day before his narrow re-election. The rowdy protests have become a weekend tradition since Chen won the March 10 vote and opposition candidate Lien Chan challenging the results. Lien has insinuated that Chen might have staged the unexplained shooting, and he wants a special task force to probe...