Any solution to the sovereignty dispute between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should comply with the principles of democracy and parity, the government's top China policy planner said yesterday.
Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), chairwoman of the Cabinet-level Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), which charts Taiwan's policy toward China, made the remarks while meeting with visiting Paraguayan Vice President Julio Cesar Franco Gomez.
Noting that cross-strait relations have been a major focus of domestic and foreign attention since the inauguration of the new government last May, Tsai said Taipei and Beijing now face many practical problems in the development of bilateral ties.
"We earnestly hope that all these issues can be settled through peaceful dialogue and consultations," Tsai said.
Commenting on a suggestion by DPP Chairman Frank Hsieh (
In an interview with a local Chinese-language newspaper, Frank Hsieh said he recognized many people were worried that Taiwan could be trapped by "communist China's unification-front schemes" if it allowed the three links -- postal, transportation and commerce -- with China to be opened up.
But he added: "We should be aware we would have advantage over the mainland when we are armed with democracy to deal with China."
Taiwan has finalized negotiations concerning its WTO entry, but Beijing has yet to work out several critical market opening issues to qualify for its WTO accession. As most WTO members favor simultaneous entry by Taipei and Beijing, Taiwan is still waiting for Beijing to finalize its accession terms with its major trade partners. Some optimistic observers said the two sides may be able to join the world trade regulatory body by the middle of this year.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique