The KMT and PFP yesterday criticized the government for failing to prepare properly for the impact on local businesses after Taiwan's admission into the WTO.
KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
"But the DPP government has evaded its responsibility [regarding this problem] since it took power last year, leaving this urgent matter uncared for," Lien said during a KMT campaign rally in Kinmen.
Lien said the former KMT government began the bid to join the WTO, formerly known as GATT (The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade), almost 12 years ago and it completed signing all the documents required when it was still in power.
Taiwan's admission was delayed until today because it was improperly linked with China's admission, Lien noted.
To cope with the impact of WTO membership, Lien said, the KMT government had planned an NT$100 billion fund to help domestic industries upgrade to a higher level, improve their competitiveness and deal with the possible unemployment problem.
While the KMT government earmarked a total of NT$30 billion for the fund from its annual budgets, the DPP did not continue to budget money for the fund after it took power, Lien said.
The DPP not only has failed to prepare properly for WTO membership, it has caused Taiwan's investment growth to plummet from the original 18.9 percent to the present ?24 percent, he said.
While government debts and the unemployment rate are climbing, President Chen Shui-bian (
"Switching on the television, what we see is our president in news reports, exclusive interviews, advertisements and even live broadcasts, as if we are conducting a presidential race. Nobody knows what's going on," Lien said.
People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
"If he had the will, a lot of things could have been accomplished in 500 days," Soong said as he campaigned for PFP legislative candidate Lee Ching-hua (
Soong said that he had finished touring all 309 rural and urban townships in less than 500 days when he was governor of Taiwan Province.
Since there will still be a five-year buffer period after Taiwan's entry into WTO, Soong urged the government to make good use of the time to finish all preparatory work.
Soong said the people are the ones who should complain, especially because the government has missed the opportunity to negotiate with China on matters concerning the opening of direct cross-strait shipping.
"In the past, China wanted to negotiate with us but we cold-shouldered it. Now the overall international and economic scenes have changed," Soong said.
He was referring to Chen's recent proposal that Taiwan and China negotiate on the issue of direct cross-strait shipping under the WTO framework.
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