President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the confrontation between North and South Korea highlighted the importance of Taiwan promoting a peaceful cross-strait relationship with China.
Ma expressed concern about the tensions between the two nations, while touting his government’s efforts to improve relations with China.
“We are concerned about the tensions in the region. On the other hand, we think our goal of improving cross-strait relations is correct,” Ma said while meeting a European Parliament delegation led by Germany’s Michael Gahler at the Presidential Office.
Tensions between the two Koreas accelerated after the South blamed the North for a March 26 torpedo strike that sank the warship Cheonan, killing 46 sailors.
The US has thrown its full support behind Seoul’s moves and said the two nation’s are planning two major military exercises off the Korean Peninsula in a display of force intended to deter future aggression by the North.
China, on the other hand, has not backed the strong response from the US, Japan and South Korea, saying only that the North should show restraint.
Ma yesterday said the Korean Peninsula and the Taiwan Strait have been sources of tension in East Asia. The tensions across the strait have been greatly reduced since his administration worked to improve relations with China, he said.
“My administration will continue its efforts to maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. We will replace confrontation with negotiations and seek reconciliation,” he said.
Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) later added that the government would be alert to the situation on the Korean Peninsula and take related measures if necessary.
Saying that Taiwan maintains close relations with Europe, Ma also told his European guests yesterday that over the past two years the EU has stated 11 times its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and activities.
He expressed hope that the EU would grant visa-waiver status to Taiwanese and that trade ties becould be strengthened by signing a Taiwan-EU trade enhancement measures agreement.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty. The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an influencer with 23 million followers, in October last year and last week respectively. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting that Chinese visitors to Taiwan are required to comply with the rules and regulations governing their entry permits. The government has handled the ban and
RSS