The DPP is poised to have its first success on the diplomatic front since President Chen Shui-bian (
Hsiao Bi-khim (
She said there is a high chance the party will become a member because there has been very little objection from members of the executive committee.
The DPP has been an observer in the organization since 1993.
A global federation of liberal parties founded in Oxford in 1947, the group unites 84 political parties from 67 countries on six continents.
If the DPP obtains approval, it will become the third member party in Asia, following the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka and the Liberal Party of the Philippines.
The director noted the admission would be of tremendous significance for the DPP because it would become a world partner in promoting democracy, freedom and party politics.
Last year, President Chen was granted the Prize for Freedom by the association. But he was unable to receive the award in person after all 15 members of the EU refused to grant Chen a visa to attend the award ceremony.
First lady Wu Shu-chen (
Hsiao also said that in October the DPP will participate in a transatlantic dialogue meeting attended by members of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the European Liberal Democrats and Reformers.
Held in Seoul and to be presided over by South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, the meeting is scheduled to focus on issues concerning corruption fighting and government transparency.
Chen was invited to attend, but a party official said Chen would not be able to attend the meeting due to his hectic schedule. The party is still deciding who will attend the conference on Chen's behalf.
Founded in 1993 to promote peace and economic prosperity in the Asia Pacific region, CALD has eight party members. Taiwan will be the host country for its annual meeting next year.
In related news, DPP Legislator Trong Chai (
The conference, scheduled for Jan. 7, is being sponsored by the Taiwan-USA Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, a body in which the senior DPP lawmaker serves as president.
Chai has said the conference will provide an opportunity for lawmakers from different countries to map out a practical agenda for preserving regional stability and to cultivate diplomatic connections.
The lawmaker said he seeks to invite more than 300 lawmakers from the US, Europe and Asia to join the meeting.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS