Seeking to assuage apprehensions about the future of cross-strait relations, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson and presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday reaffirmed her party’s willingness to hold talks with Beijing.
Concluding a three-day visit to the Philippines, Tsai made the remarks during a breakfast meeting with reporters.
The DPP, she said, was willing to sit down with China to discuss proposals for building a “feasible and viable” interaction framework between the two sides, adding that the talks would not come at the expense of the DPP’s political values and principles.
Photo: CNA
Tsai said she “welcomes [Chinese] officials to visit the DPP’s headquarters or its think tank,” referring to the New Frontier Foundation, where recent talks with foreign experts have been held.
“The DPP’s door is wide open with regards to China. We hope that through more interaction we can increase our mutual knowledge of one another and lower to the minimum any risks of a misunderstanding,” she said.
Tsai said that if the DPP regained the presidency next year, its cross-strait policy would be more transparent and involve more input from the public.
The legislature would also be given a chance to monitor such agreements, she said.
A former Mainland Affairs Council chairperson, Tsai also defended the consistency of her China policies.
Critics have accused her of holding ideas that are less than pragmatic and seeking to isolate Taiwan from Beijing, despite a booming Chinese market. She has also been accused of being unclear on how the DPP would handle the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement, a trade deal signed with China in June last year.
“I have always been very clear on how I handle cross-strait relations. Some people believe that I’m unclear only because they have purposely not closely studied my [policies],” Tsai said.
Tsai also addressed the dispute over the Spratly Islands (南沙群島) — the rich fishing grounds claimed in part by Taiwan, China, Brunei, Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia — during her morning discussion.
Taiwan, she said, needed to make clear its separateness with China, especially on sovereignty over the islands. She remained non-committal on whether Taiwan should work together with its cross-strait neighbor to resolve sovereignty disputes.
“Taiwan has its own motives on the Spratly Islands dispute — and the basis of that is Taiwanese sovereignty — separate from China,” she said.
Authorities have detained three former Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TMSC, 台積電) employees on suspicion of compromising classified technology used in making 2-nanometer chips, the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Prosecutors are holding a former TSMC engineer surnamed Chen (陳) and two recently sacked TSMC engineers, including one person surnamed Wu (吳) in detention with restricted communication, following an investigation launched on July 25, a statement said. The announcement came a day after Nikkei Asia reported on the technology theft in an exclusive story, saying TSMC had fired two workers for contravening data rules on advanced chipmaking technology. Two-nanometer wafers are the most
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
CHINA’s BULLYING: The former British prime minister said that he believes ‘Taiwan can and will’ protect its freedom and democracy, as its people are lovers of liberty Former British prime minister Boris Johnson yesterday said Western nations should have the courage to stand with and deepen their economic partnerships with Taiwan in the face of China’s intensified pressure. He made the remarks at the ninth Ketagalan Forum: 2025 Indo-Pacific Security Dialogue hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prospect Foundation in Taipei. Johnson, who is visiting Taiwan for the first time, said he had seen Taiwan’s coastline on a screen on his indoor bicycle, but wanted to learn more about the nation, including its artificial intelligence (AI) development, the key technology of the 21st century. Calling himself an
South Korea yesterday said that it was removing loudspeakers used to blare K-pop and news reports to North Korea, as the new administration in Seoul tries to ease tensions with its bellicose neighbor. The nations, still technically at war, had already halted propaganda broadcasts along the demilitarized zone, Seoul’s military said in June after the election of South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. It said in June that Pyongyang stopped transmitting bizarre, unsettling noises along the border that had become a major nuisance for South Korean residents, a day after South Korea’s loudspeakers fell silent. “Starting today, the military has begun removing the loudspeakers,”
RSS