President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended the nation’s sovereignty over the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) following the recent signing of a fisheries agreement with Japan, and said the government would welcome any efforts by China to negotiate a fisheries agreement with Taiwan.
In an interview with Hit FM radio, Ma dismissed concerns that China was upset about the agreement and said the pact aimed to protect the rights of Taiwanese fishermen while setting aside sovereignty disputes.
“It is my administration’s duty to strive for improved rights for our fishermen. [The agreement] focused on protecting and maintaining those rights … We would also welcome China if it wished to discuss a fisheries agreement,” he said.
The agreement with Japan, signed last month, allows fishing vessels from Taiwan and Japan to operate in a 70,000km2 zone without being subject to the jurisdiction of the other side, with Taipei being granted an additional fishing zone of 4,800km2 outside of Taiwan’s temporary enforcement line.
However, the agreement does not apply to waters within 12 nautical miles (22.2km) — a state’s territorial waters — surrounding the Diaoyutais, sparking concern among legislators over a perceived failure to insist on the nation’s sovereignty over the islands.
When asked to comment on the economy, Ma acknowledged that growth in the first quarter of 1.54 percent fell short of the government’s estimate of 3.26 percent, and said his administration will work to increase growth by promoting consumption and increasing exports.
The president argued that the nation’s economic growth is still better than that of South Korea and some other Asian nations, and said that the government will provide solutions to the current growth slowdown within a month.
As to disputes over the government’s pension reform proposals, Ma continued to defend the reforms and dismissed proposals made by lawmakers for the government to raise the maximum insurance salary for private-sector workers, which currently stands at NT$43,900.
A number of lawmakers jointly submitted a three-point proposal: Raise the maximum insurance salary for private-sector workers; exclude private-sector retirees who receive a monthly pension of less than NT$32,160 — which is the minimum monthly payment for retired civil servants — from the current reform package; and establish a uniform starting year for the reform plan for both public-sector and private-sector workers.
Ma said that raising the maximum insurance salary would be more beneficial for workers with higher incomes and insisted that the government’s proposed labor reforms would be fairer.
GLOBAL ISSUE: If China annexes Taiwan, ‘it will not stop its expansion there, as it only becomes stronger and has more force to expand further,’ the president said China’s military and diplomatic expansion is not a sole issue for Taiwan, but one that risks world peace, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that Taiwan would stand with the alliance of democratic countries to preserve peace through deterrence. Lai made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). “China is strategically pushing forward to change the international order,” Lai said, adding that China established the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, launched the Belt and Road Initiative, and pushed for yuan internationalization, because it wants to replace the democratic rules-based international
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS