Advisers to the Mainland Affairs Council generally agreed yesterday that China's new leaders are realists who will be prepared to deal with with President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration the same way their predecessors did -- under the table and with little prospect of formal talks.
"The advisers agreed that the new leaders are realists who would do whatever they had to from the perspective of defending and protecting the Communist Party's interests. On that basis, it was concluded that the Chinese leaders would definitely deal with President Chen," said Jan Jyh-horng (詹志宏), director of the MAC's Research and Planning Department.
Jan made the remarks at a press conference after the first meeting of the council's advisers since the Chinese Communist Party's 16th National Congress ended last week.
He said the advisers evaluated the impact of Beijing's leadership change on China's domestic politics, its economy and cross-strait policy.
Jan explained that the advisers believe that China's international and cross-strait policies would remain unchanged, since the new leaders would follow the approach adopted by President Jiang Zemin (
He said the advisers had concluded that China will promote lower level cross-strait economic exchanges in the coming years, since it is accelerating the development of its private enterprises.
"Cross-strait exchanges have been focused on academics and business tycoons. But with the new direction of China's economic development, cross-strait exchanges will take place at the managerial level or will focus on the transfer of technology, such as agricultural technology, since they need to learn such know-how from Taiwan," Jan said.
He said the advisers warned that economic problems might shake China's stability, including its banks' non-performing loans and high unemployment.
"One advisor who has just come back from northeastern China said that the unemployment rate is as high as 20 percent to 30 percent. This is a time bomb that could explode any time," Jan said.
The advisers also predicted that Jiang would step down as head of China's Central Military Commission next March.
They thought Jiang might be holding onto the post in a bid to prevent disputes between rival factions.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition