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
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
POSSIBILITIES EMERGE: With Taiwan’s victory and Japan’s narrow win over Australia, Taiwan now have a chance to advance if South Korea also beat the Aussies Taiwan has high hopes that the national baseball team would advance to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarter-finals after clinching a crucial 5-4 victory over South Korea in a nail-biting extra-inning game at the Tokyo Dome yesterday. Boosted by three home runs — two solo shots by Yu Chang (張育成) and Cheng Tsung-che (鄭宗哲) and a two-run homer by Stuart Fairchild — the triumph gave Taiwan a much-needed second victory in the five-team Pool C, where only the top two finishers would advance to the knockout stage in Miami, Florida. Entering extra innings with the game tied at four apiece, Taiwan scored
MISSION OF PEACE: The foreign minister urged Beijing to respect Taiwan’s existence as an independent nation, and work together to ensure peace and stability in the region Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday rejected Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi’s (王毅) comments about Taiwan, criticizing China as a “troublemaker” in the international community and a disruptor of cross-strait peace. Speaking at a news conference on the sidelines of the Chinese National People’s Congress, Wang said that Taiwan has always been a territory of China and that it would be impossible for it to become its own country. The “return” of Taiwan to China was the natural outcome of the Chinese people’s resistance against Japan in World War II, and that any pursuit of independence was “doomed
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS