The KMT has officially notified the Presidential Office that it will not permit party vice chairman Vincent Siew (
Secretary-general of the Presidential Office Yu Shyi-kun said at a press conference yesterday that he had visited KMT headquarters on Tuesday to deliver a personal letter Chen had written to KMT chairman Lien Chan (
But in a response Lien wrote to Chen -- that was delivered to the Presidential Office by KMT Secretary-general Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) yesterday afternoon -- Lien said that the trust between the ruling and the opposition parties had been destroyed, and that Siew should not represent the president in Brunei.
Siew, Taiwan's former premier, has been the KMT government's representative to the APEC summit in the past. The KMT, however, changed its mind and decided not to allow Siew to represent the president after a political dispute over the timing of the policy announcement to halt the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant project.
According to Yu, Chen told Siew in a phone conversation yesterday that he still considered him to be the most appropriate representative. Siew, however, said that he will not go to Brunei without the KMT's permission.
Meanwhile, local media reported yesterday that Siew has suggested Chen send Central Bank of China Governor Perng Fai-nan (
Yu refused to comment on the matter, saying that uncertainty still remains. According to Yu, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently negotiating with the host country. "I won't reveal who Taiwan's representative is before Brunei says yes," Yu said.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source