Paving the way for a trip to China, it was confirmed yesterday that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (
In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) reiterated yesterday that Lien could face legal action upon his return home should he sign any agreements in China.
Despite KMT denials last week that Lin would make a trip to China this week, Chinese-language media reported yesterday that Lin had quietly left Taipei Tuesday to settle the details of Lien's visit to China.
CONFIRMATION
During a phone interview with the Taipei Times, KMT spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (
While Cheng confirmed that the purpose of Lin's trip was to arrange Lien's trip, she was unable to say what kinds of results the KMT was anticipating from the Lin trip.
While media reports speculated that Lien's journey might take place either in early next month or late this month, Cheng would only say that the KMT is "eliminating no possibilities" for the trip's date.
Besides Lin, the other members of the delegation were Chang Che-chen (
FOCUS
Since Lien recieved an invitation from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in March to make a visit, the timing and details of his trip have been a focus of attention in the nation's political scene.
While the KMT has stated that it does not need the government's blessing to visit China, the administration has urged the KMT to discuss the matter with the appropriate agencies and has looked into the legality of the ten proposals produced by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Ping-kun's (
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) however held its ground, reiterating that if Lin signed any agreements with Beijing during his trip there it would look into whether he was in violation of the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (
"Taiwan's democracy was not so easily achieved. Following the rules of the game is crucial to upholding our democracy, and in democratic politics, the ruling party has a role, as does the opposition party. Our democracy would be wiped out in a day if the opposition party takes on the ruling party's role and then forces the ruling party to accept this," council head Joseph Wu (
Wu said however that if Lin's trip was just an informal exchange, the government would not put up any opposition. He warned however that cross-strait interaction should take place within legally stipulated boundaries.
Beijing's Cabinet-level Taiwan Affairs Office denied any knowledge of Lin's arrival in China yesterday however, according to Taiwan's Central News Agency.
also see story:
Lien `using' China to hold on to power
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique