A Control Yuan report recommended that a model for participation in international organizations be added to the agenda for the fifth round of cross-strait talks next year.
Titled “Taiwan’s Participation in International Organizations,” the report also said the public should not have high expectations of the so-called “1992 consensus” because China’s insistence on the “one China” principle remains unchanged despite the change in Taiwan’s government.
The “1992 consensus” refers to an alleged agreement between China and Taiwan that there is “one China, with each side of the Strait having its own interpretation.”
A cross-strait diplomatic truce would require China’s tolerance of Taiwan participating in international organizations on a case-by-case basis, the report said.
However, when such participation reaches a certain number, it is feared that Beijing would insist on its “one China” principle, the report said.
The report also quoted former Chinese ambassador to the UK Ma Zhengang (馬振岡) as saying that it would be best to adopt a yearly review approach.
The report questioned how Taiwan’s sovereignty would be affected if it were required to seek consent from China or its blessing every time it wanted to apply to participate in an international organization.
The report went on to say that China often demands that Taiwan not use the titles “Taiwan” or “Republic of China” when Taiwanese officials or NGOs participate in international organizations.
Instead, Beijing insists on “Taiwan, China,” or “Chinese Taipei,” in line with the “one China” principle.
Wong Ming-hsien (翁明賢), director of Tamkang University’s Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies, was quoted in the report as expressing reservation over the term “Chinese Taipei” when participating in international organizations.
While the government has said the use of the term would not affect the country’s sovereignty, Wong said he feared other countries could conceivably, over time, confuse the two, believing “Chinese Taipei” to be the official name.
The report also quoted the Ministry of Justice as noting that the US is trying to get China to take part in the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units’ anti-money laundering initiative.
For Taiwan to be involved, China will insist on the use of the term “Chinese Taipei” instead of Taiwan, and the US, Japan and Russia are likely to agree to this, the report said.
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS