The Presidential Office and Cabinet yesterday utterly denied any intention of relocating the nation's capital from Taipei to Kaohsiung following a suggestion from Vice President Annette Lu (
While Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chih-mai (
"She merely pointed out that Taipei City does not necessarily have to remain the nation's capital forever, and proposed a very creative idea that the government could consider relocating the nation's capital from Taipei to Kaohsiung," Chen said.
Lu made the remarks during a luncheon with local tourism industry leaders in Kaohsiung on Saturday.
Responding to Lu's proposal, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Lin Chin-hsing (
In a press release jointly made public by their offices, the trio pledged to launch a petition in the legislature to seek endorsement from lawmakers across party lines to push for a national referendum on the issue. They also planned to broach the subject during the DPP's weekly Central Standing Committee meeting, seeking the endorsement of their party.
Opposing the relocation idea, opposition lawmakers yesterday unleashed a tirade against Lu's proposal. KMT Spokeswoman Kuo Su-chun (
"It's to the people's detriment if the government fails to take cost-effectiveness into consideration during its policy-making process," Kuo said. She also called on the DPP to adopt a more pragmatic approach on this matter.
"If it is indeed the government's policy to relocate the nation's capital, we'd like to see its detailed plan and evaluation reports," she said.
Commenting on the DPP lawmakers' referendum proposal, Kuo said that the move would be meaningless because the DPP government is known for breaking its own promises.
"While the election-day referendum on arms procurement failed, it still forged on the arms procurement plan," Kuo said.
Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
PFP Spokesman Hwang Yih-jiau (
"Is there anything wrong with keeping the nation's capital in Taipei, judging from the political, economical and military aspects?" Hwang asked. "If the move was aimed at narrowing the gap between the north and south, I believe there are other alternatives that could achieve that goal."
If the DPP government insisted on pushing for a referendum to decide the matter, Hwang said that the PFP respected the people's and lawmakers' right to initiate a referendum as long as the procedure met the requirement of the Referendum Law (公民投票法).
PFP lawmaker Lee Hung-chun (
"All it has in mind is votes, votes, votes. Has the nation's overall interest ever crossed its mind?" Lee asked. "It's not an easy task and bound to cause a dent in the state coffers to relocate the nation's capital. Japan and South Korea are two perfect examples."
It has been over a decade since the relocation of the national capital was first proposed in Japan. It is estimated that the relocation plan may cost the Japanese government over NT$6.2 trillion (or about US$200 billion). The South Korean government estimated that its capital relocation plan may cost the government over NT$1.3 trillion (or about US$40 billion).
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
RSS