The government yesterday said it supported China's bid to host the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, but that it was too early to discuss Beijing's invitation to Taipei to co-host the international sporting event.
"We'd like to see Beijing win the bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. As for the question of whether Taipei would accept Beijing's invitation [to co-host,] it is too early to discuss it," vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council Chen Ming-tong (
The report said that the Beijing 2008 Olympic Bid Committee was seriously considering the possibility of inviting Taiwan to co-host the 2008 Olympic Games, adding that relevant governmental departments were studying the situation.
PHOTO: LIBERTY TIMES FILE PHOTO
"If the 2008 Olympic Games are to be held in Beijing, some of the mass events like soccer, baseball and basketball may be held in Chinese cities including Shanghai (上海) and Guangzhou (廣州), but why not Taipei?" a committee official said.
Opposition lawmakers in Taiwan were optimistic about co-hosting the events with Beijing calling it a gesture of goodwill extended from China.
"To put political differences aside, the development of cross-strait relations will benefit from cultural, sports and trade exchanges across the strait," People First Party Legislator Chung Shao-ho (鍾紹和) told the Taipei Times yesterday, adding that Taiwan could no longer isolate itself from the international community.
KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (
"This will be a good opportunity for Taiwan to distinguish itself from China so that the international community knows that Taiwan and China are different under the `one China' principle," Chen said, adding that Taiwan's co-hosting the game with Beijing would enhance Taiwan's exposure to the international community.
DPP legislator Su Huan-chi (
"It's a gesture of goodwill, but we need to evaluate carefully what strategies were behind their offer," Su said, adding that Taiwan should avoid falling into the trap of unification propaganda (
A source from Hong Kong -- who preferred to remain unidentified -- told the Taipei Times that Chinese authorities have been very active in asking Taipei to co-host sporting events with Chinese cities. The source said China expressed the same wish last time when Hong Kong was bidding for the Asian Games, though Hong Kong failed to win the bid.
Su, nevertheless, said that Taiwan should not turn down the offer immediately.
A Taiwanese member of the International Olympic Committee (國際奧會) Wu Ching-kuo (吳經國), however, said that there is no possibility that Taiwan could co-host the 2008 Olympic Games with Beijing according to the committee's charter.
"However, what would be more ideal and realistic is that Taiwan coordinates with Beijing after Beijing wins the bid to host the Games. Some sporting events can then be held in Taipei," Wu told local media on Friday.
Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (
Delivering a speech at a Presbyterian church, Lu said that as long as "we use love, peace and blessings," cross-strait relations will be improved. She cited Taipei's support of Beijing's Olympic bid as an example of this.
According to Lu, the aim of the Olympic Games is to take a stand against violence, military means and the use of force, and if Beijing wins the bid to host the 2008 Games next July, it will have to "show love and peace" to Taiwan and the rest of the world in the next few years, which she said would in turn provide "a new chance for cross-strait relations."
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia