Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) yesterday asked government agencies to look into whether goods and passengers will use Kinmen and Matsu as transshipment points on their way to Taiwan after the "small three links" (小三通) policy is put into effect in January.
"If the transfer of goods and passengers from China via Kinmen and Matsu to Taiwan cannot be totally prohibited, the `small three links' will likely to turn into the `big three links,' which will have a negative impact on agriculture in Taiwan," Chang said yesterday morning, in reference to fears that cheap agricultural imports from China might render local agriculture uncompetitive, furthering its decline.
According to measures approved by the Cabinet on Dec. 13, Chinese goods and people will not be allowed to use Kinmen and Matsu as transfer points to Taiwan. However, there is a fear that Taiwanese businessmen will take advantage of the new policy to illegally ship cheap Chinese goods to Taiwan via Kinmen or Matsu.
"The policy provides for trial cross-strait links only, and so [the government] will not allow goods or passengers to be transferred [via Kinmen and Matsu] and sent to Taiwan," deputy secretary-general of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Yen Wan-chin (
In response, the SEF said yesterday that six inspection posts would be set up in airports, harbors and post offices to prevent such transfers.
In a briefing to a group of members of the Control Yuan, Chan said the opening of the links is part of the government's efforts to show sincerity and goodwill toward China.
Chang said he is hopeful that the "small three links" will begin as scheduled to help forge rapprochement across the Taiwan Strait and to help boost economic development in the two offshore island groups.
Meanwhile, in preparation for the opening of "small three links," the Ministry of Transportation and Communications conducted a rehearsal of immigration and customs clearance services at the newly refurbished passenger service center at Kinmen's Liaolo (
The rehearsal involved a simulation of 200 passengers proceeding with immigration and luggage inspection in preparation for a direct voyage from Kinmen to Xiamen.
KMT Legislator Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶), however, said that the passenger terminal was only large enough to accommodate 200 people at most, so an expansion of the harbor's facilities was necessary.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was
RSS