The APEC leaders’ summit in Beijing this year would be the most suitable occasion for a meeting between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) because it would allow China to interpret the gathering as a “domestic affair,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister Lin Chu-chia (林祖嘉) said.
Lin made the comment at a meeting of foreign envoys at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in response to a question EU Representative to Taiwan Frederic Laplanche raised about a possible Ma-Xi get-together. The meeting was to brief the envoys on the agreements on meteorological cooperation and earthquake monitoring signed during the 10th high-level cross-strait talks on Feb. 27 in Taipei.
Several envoys inquired about the possibility of a Ma-Xi meeting, a topic discussed when MAC Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) met with China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) on Feb. 11 in Nanjing, China.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“As the next APEC summit is to be held in Beijing, it would help create a context where both sides of the Taiwan Strait could have their own interpretation of the nature of the meeting,” Lin said.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was quick to criticize his comments.
DPP spokesman Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) questioned Ma’s eagerness to meet with Xi, saying that Ma should prioritize the nation’s economy above everything else, including his place in history.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
DPP Legislator Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) called on Lin to step down.
“Which country does Lin work for? Is the Ma administration really so desperate to meet with Xi … that it is willing to hand over Taiwan’s sovereignty?” Chen said.
The council later said that a Ma-Xi meeting would not be an international or domestic affair, but a “cross-strait one.”
“The government remains adamant that such a meeting must not undermine the nation’s dignity and stances on sovereignty issues, and could only be held in a way that is conducive to the advancement of social well-being and cross-strait rapprochement,” the council said.
Zhang dismissed Lin’s suggestion when questioned by reporters on the sidelines of the 12th National People’s Congress in Beijing.
“We should find another place [for a meeting], since it only concerns the two sides of the Strait, and during which only cross-strait matters will be discussed. It is not necessary to meet at an international occasion,” he said.
The paramount chief of a volcanic island in Vanuatu yesterday said that he was “very impressed” by a UN court’s declaration that countries must tackle climate change. Vanuatu spearheaded the legal case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, which on Wednesday ruled that countries have a duty to protect against the threat of a warming planet. “I’m very impressed,” George Bumseng, the top chief of the Pacific archipelago’s island of Ambrym, told reporters in the capital, Port Vila. “We have been waiting for this decision for a long time because we have been victims of this climate change for
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
MASSIVE LOSS: If the next recall votes also fail, it would signal that the administration of President William Lai would continue to face strong resistance within the legislature The results of recall votes yesterday dealt a blow to the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) efforts to overturn the opposition-controlled legislature, as all 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers survived the recall bids. Backed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) DPP, civic groups led the recall drive, seeking to remove 31 out of 39 KMT lawmakers from the 113-seat legislature, in which the KMT and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) together hold a majority with 62 seats, while the DPP holds 51 seats. The scale of the recall elections was unprecedented, with another seven KMT lawmakers facing similar votes on Aug. 23. For a
All 24 lawmakers of the main opposition Chinese Nationalists Party (KMT) on Saturday survived historical nationwide recall elections, ensuring that the KMT along with Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) lawmakers will maintain opposition control of the legislature. Recall votes against all 24 KMT lawmakers as well as Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) and KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) failed to pass, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) figures. In only six of the 24 recall votes did the ballots cast in favor of the recall even meet the threshold of 25 percent of eligible voters needed for the recall to pass,
RSS