President Chen Shui-bian (
"The relationship between central and local governments is one of partnership. It is not a competitive one or one in which one [government] dominates the other. The potential of Kaohsiung is greater than that of Taipei, so the prospects for the city's future will be immeasurable after the merger," Chen said during a boat trip, while leading a group of media executives to the city's harbor district.
Having taken a strong position on the merger, Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
"The establishment of an administrative board [to facilitate the transfer of managerial authority from the central government to Kaohsiung City] aims to address shipping companies' concerns, by making it clear that the harbor is not fully under the city government's control. The city government will improve the integration of city and harbor development plans," Hsieh said.
Although the Kaohsiung City Council is still opposed to certain details of the Cabinet's merger plan, Hsieh said that he would continue to press the legislature for a "much more complete" merger.
In accordance with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications' plan, administrative boards will soon be set up in all four of Taiwan's international harbors.
Nine to 13 board members, recommended by local governments and approved by the ministry, will be appointed to run each board, headed by local mayors and in Hualien's case, a county commissioner.
The four international harbors in Taiwan are Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taichung and Hualien Harbors.
Upon Chen's arrival at the harbor, Kaohsiung City Councilor Chen Tsun-hsiung (
"It's the passing of a milestone for Kaohsiung. I fully support it," Chen said as he stood in the water, treading water excitedly to indicate his satisfaction with the news.
Expressing his excitement, President Chen also said that he felt "closer to the southern sea after setting foot in the harbor," and that it helped him to reflect more easily on the meaning of Taiwan being an "ocean country."
President Chen, in addition, urged Kaohsiung Harbor to maintain its competitiveness with other international harbors in the world, adding that the central government should work hand in hand with local governments to create a "win-win" situation.
Commenting on the differences between northern and southern cities, President Chen also said that "inappropriate government policies" had led to the rising unemployment rate, lack of medical and other resources, and underdevelopment in the south.
Consequently, he said, he has ordered certain important gatherings, such as state banquets, be held in central and southern Taiwan.
Recalling his past experiences as a maritime lawyer, President Chen added yesterday that he was delighted to meet former clients in Kaohsiung, including the head of the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau who briefed yesterday's meeting.
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
Both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a political foundation based on the “1992 consensus” and opposition to Taiwanese independence, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) today said during her meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Both sides of the Strait should plan and build institutionalized and sustainable mechanisms for dialogue and cooperation based on that foundation to make peaceful development across the Strait irreversible, she said. Peace is a shared moral value across the Strait, and both sides should move beyond political confrontation to seek institutionalized solutions to prevent war, she said. Mutually beneficial cross-strait relations are what the
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS