Vice President Annette Lu (
Lu strongly condemned Lien's latest trip to China, accusing him of "abusing" Taiwan by making money here but undermining Taiwan's interests while in China.
"Three generations of the Lien family have acquired tremendous wealth in Taiwan. However, simply because Lien failed to be elected president twice, he goes to China and trashes Taiwan. Lien Chan, where is your conscience," Lu said yesterday.
The vice president made the comments in Taipei while addressing a local meeting of the Rotary Club International.
Lu lambasted Lien for saying nothing good about Taiwan during his speech at the CCP-KMT forum held in Beijing on Friday.
"Yesterday's CCP-KMT forum was aimed at discussing economic prosperity, but nothing was said recognizing Taiwan [and its economic achievements]. It was as if Taiwan was too shameful to be mentioned." Lu said.
The vice president also said that the reason Taiwan's high-tech industries were able to become so advanced was because of the preferential conditions and treatment they get from the government.
Lu yesterday also urged Lien to demand that China stop threatening Taiwan with the use of force.
Citing increases in China's military expenditure, Lu said Lien's failure to be elected president led to the KMT's boycott of Taiwan's defense budget, which only amounted to US$7.65 billion over the past four years while China's had increased from US$20.2 billion to US$35.1 billion during the same period.
Lien is currently in Beijing to participate in the second KMT-CCP summit and discuss ways to further liberalize cross-strait economic exchanges.
At the summit on Friday, Lien said Taiwan's future development relied on China and urged those in Taiwan not to "demonize" China in the face of its rise.
He said Taiwan's economy has stagnated over the last six years and the reason it has managed to maintain an economic growth rate of 3.57 percent was because of its trade surplus with China.
Lien criticized the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government for being slow in opening up cross-strait charter flights, saying its economic policies were inappropriate and had led to a stagnation in Taiwan's economic development.
He further advanced his idea of a cross-strait common market, saying cooperation could be realized in the agricultural, financial and energy sectors as well as cross-strait charter flights.
KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"So many Taiwanese business-people have gone to China, and local businessmen are yearning for Chinese tourists. We hope that the president and vice president can consider people's expectations," he said yesterday after attending a tea party with Taipei residents at the 228 Memorial Park.
Additional reporting by Mo Yan-chih
also see stories:
China offers economic agreements
DPP slams absent KMT lawmakers
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
IMPORTANT BACKER: China seeks to expel US influence from the Indo-Pacific region and supplant Washington as the global leader, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said China is preparing for war to seize Taiwan, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said in Washington on Friday, warning that Taiwan’s fall would trigger a regional “domino effect” endangering US security. In a speech titled “Maintaining the Peaceful and Stable Status Quo Across the Taiwan Strait is in Line with the Shared Interests of Taiwan and the United States,” Chiu said Taiwan’s strategic importance is “closely tied” to US interests. Geopolitically, Taiwan sits in a “core position” in the first island chain — an arc stretching from Japan, through Taiwan and the Philippines, to Borneo, which is shared by
RSS