Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday declined to confirm whether she would accept Beijing's invitation to visit China.
A Chinese-language United Daily News story reported that the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) had said on Thursday that it would welcome Lu as president of her planned daily, the Formosa Post (玉山午報).
Lu said yesterday that she had not received an invitation from the CPPCC and that she would consult her paper's board before making any decision. The Formosa Post will publish online on April 1.
“I will respect the opinions of the Democratic Progressive Party [DPP], but don't forget that I am a free person now,” she said yesterday during a visit to Hsinchu City.
Lu said she had visited China in 1990 as an independence advocate and that any new trip would not change her stance.
As the fate and development of Taiwan are affected by China, it is proper for the opposition to monitor the government's cross-strait policies by visiting China to gain a better understanding of it, she said.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said former officials who had left their positions less than three years ago and had handled confidential information should seek approval from a committee including the National Security Bureau, Justice Department and the MAC before traveling to China.
The MAC said that if the Presidential Office decided that Lu's level of involvement in national secrets during her term did not require her to seek approval, it would respect the Presidential Office's decision.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator William Lai (賴清德) said that if Lu could not visit China using her official title of former vice president, then she should not go.
Lai said former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰), People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) and Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) had failed to highlight Taiwan as a sovereign nation during their trips to China, and that if Lu planned to do the same, her trip would be inappropriate.
DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) said that if China allowed Lu to hold an international press conference and say whatever she wanted, then Lu should speak out about Taiwan's independence, but if Lu found China was using her as part of its unification agenda, she should reject the invitation.
DPP Spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said the DPP aimed to uphold Taiwan's sovereignty and Taiwanese interests when dealing with cross-strait issues. He said that as a politician with plenty of experience, Lu would exchange opinions with the party before she made a decision on the matter.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS