Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) urged Beijing yesterday to respond positively to Taiwan’s moves to participate in the international community and to dismantle its more than 1,000 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan.
“I believe that as long as we continue to extend goodwill to each other, cross-strait relations will remain promising,” he said after a closed-door meeting with Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) at the Grand Hotel.
Chen said that the issue was related to military confidence-building and that it was more important to address economic issues for the moment.
“Political matters must proceed step by step, one step at a time,” Wang quoted Chen as saying during their breakfast meeting.
When asked how Chen addressed him, Wang said he had emphasized that he was the head of the legislature, representing the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Chen called him “elder brother Jin-pyng” because he is eight months Chen’s senior, Wang said.
Although they did not talk about President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) scheduled meeting with Chen, Wang said it would be best if Chen addressed Ma as president.
Wang said he suggested Chen talk with representatives of different political parties to improve his understanding of Taiwan.
Wang told Chen he had not ruled out visiting China at “an appropriate time” and asked him to extend an invitation to Wu Bangguo (吳邦國), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, to visit Taiwan.
Asked by the Taipei Times what “an appropriate time” would be, Wang said: “When the two sides need him.”
“If my visit would help solve problems, promote sound policies and benefit cross-strait development, I will go when I am needed,” he said.
Wang said he was glad to see negotiators meet in Taipei on the basis of the “1992 consensus.”
The agreements signed on Tuesday were a historic achievement, he said.
Wang said he hoped the agreements would be implemented on schedule.
Asked whether the legislature would complete its review of the agreements in good time, Wang said he hoped the legislature would deal with the four pacts as soon as possible to benefit economic cooperation and exchanges.
Wang dismissed criticism that the legislature was just a “rubber stamp,” saying its job was to oversee the government.
He stressed, however, that legislation was needed to empower the legislature to supervise cross-strait negotiations.
Regarding the June agreement to increase the quota for Chinese visiting Taiwan, Wang said that since nearly 5 million Taiwanese visit China each year, it would make sense to expect 10,000 Chinese tourists a day.
While Chen would not have a chance to visit central and southern Taiwan on his five-day visit, Wang said he hoped that Chen would be able to do so the next time around.
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
SAFETY FIRST: Double the number of police were deployed at the Taipei Marathon, while other cities released plans to bolster public event safety Authorities across Taiwan have stepped up security measures ahead of Christmas and New Year events, following a knife and smoke bomb attack in Taipei on Friday that left four people dead and 11 injured. In a bid to prevent potential copycat incidents, police deployments have been expanded for large gatherings, transport hubs, and other crowded public spaces, according to official statements from police and city authorities. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city has “comprehensively raised security readiness” in crowded areas, increased police deployments with armed officers, and intensified patrols during weekends and nighttime hours. For large-scale events, security checkpoints and explosives
A car bomb killed a senior Russian general in southern Moscow yesterday morning, the latest high-profile army figure to be blown up in a blast that came just hours after Russian and Ukrainian delegates held separate talks in Miami on a plan to end the war. Kyiv has not commented on the incident, but Russian investigators said they were probing whether the blast was “linked” to “Ukrainian special forces.” The attack was similar to other assassinations of generals and pro-war figures that have either been claimed, or are widely believed to have been orchestrated, by Ukraine. Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head
PUBLIC SAFETY: The premier said that security would be tightened in transport hubs, while President Lai commended the public for their bravery The government is to deploy more police, including rapid response units, in crowded public areas to ensure a swift response to any threats, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday after a knife attack killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei the previous day. Lai made the remarks following a briefing by the National Police Agency on the progress of the investigation, saying that the attack underscored the importance of cooperation in public security between the central and local governments. The attack unfolded in the early evening on Friday around Taipei Main Station’s M7 exit and later near the Taipei MRT’s Zhongshan
RSS