Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday expounded on his views on cross-strait relations at the Taipei-Shanghai forum, touting what he called the “2015 new standpoint,” which he said is built on “four reciprocal processes” and a motif that both sides of the Taiwan Strait are “one family.”
Ko made the remarks during his speech at the opening ceremony for the forum.
Ko started his speech by talking of the impermanence of the world today, before narrowing his subject down to what he described as the “long-lasting friendship” between Taipei and Shanghai.
Photo: CNA
“This is an ever-changing world. Seven years ago, who would have thought that the iPhone would change the world? A year ago, who would have thought that I would become the mayor of Taipei? Just a month ago, who would have thought that I would be standing here in front of you today?” he said. “However, one thing remains unchanged, and that is the long-lasting friendship that Taipei and Shanghai have established.”
Ko said that his stance on cross-strait relations and the forum can be summarized as “one family across the Strait” and four “reciprocal” actions: to know each other, to understand each other, to respect each other and to work with each other.
He said that he has always abided by these principles to promote exchanges and increase goodwill across the Taiwan Strait, and that he hoped that Taipei and Shanghai would build on their “political common ground” and work together to boost cross-strait exchanges and push for peaceful development to serve the best interests of people on both sides of the Strait.
Responding to media queries after the speech, Ko said that he proposed the “2015 new standpoint” in March, and that he sees it as a new direction and starting point for cross-strait exchanges.
Asked whether he was concerned that his stance would spark controversy in Taiwan, he said: “I do not expect all political parties to accept it, but at least it would be tolerable. There has got to be something on the table so that everyone can engage in exchanges.”
He said that the greatest consensus formed between him and Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong (楊雄) during the organization of the forum concerns the employment of a novel method in which “the public goes first; the government supports.”
“I believe that this method would also apply to future cross-strait exchanges. Through organizing forums, members of the public can discuss the issues among themselves. The government can then provide the necessary help according to the conclusions they reach,” he said, adding that the epiphany was his biggest reward during his visit to Shanghai.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
TRUST: The KMT said it respected the US’ timing and considerations, and hoped it would continue to honor its commitments to helping Taiwan bolster its defenses and deterrence US President Donald Trump is delaying a multibillion-dollar arms sale to Taiwan to ensure his visit to Beijing is successful, a New York Times report said. The weapons sales package has stalled in the US Department of State, the report said, citing US officials it did not identify. The White House has told agencies not to push forward ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), it said. The two last month held a phone call to discuss trade and geopolitical flashpoints ahead of the summit. Xi raised the Taiwan issue and urged the US to handle arms sales to
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
RSS