The Executive Yuan yesterday denied that PFP lawmaker Kao Ming-chien (
"I think most of the people have missed the point here. The key to this matter is not from where he got the invitation, but how he got on China's recommendation list and why he accepted the offer," Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
To straighten things up once and for all, Lin said, Kao should act like a responsible adult and explain the matter to the public upon returning from his trip.
Despite the imbroglio, Lin said that the government will continue to participate in future international events and medical cooperation programs, as long as national dignity is safeguarded and public health and security are ensured.
According to Lin, the National Security Council had expressed its concern over the matter and the foreign ministry had told Kao to stay alert and handle the matter. carefully.
"I hope he didn't do it intentionally. This matter only highlights the fact that China has never given up its efforts to belittle and suppress Taiwan," Lin said. "The public has to be aware of the sneaky tricks China plays and be scrupulous while dealing with it."
While the foreign ministry had originally planned to hold a pre-event discussion with participants, including Kao, Lin said that the ministry later decided against it for fear that it might lead the public and international community to misconstrue that Kao was one of the government's representatives at the meeting.
The delegates recommended by the government to the WHO were Director of Center for Disease Control Su Ih-jen (
Unable to handle the mounting pressure from the brouhaha surrounding the controversy, Kao's wife was rushed to the hospital yesterday and was later discharged.
Kao's office issued a statement yesterday afternoon, stating that Kao does not rule out the possibility of pressing charges against the media and government officials for releasing what he says is false information about him.
"We have documents to prove that Lawmaker Kao indeed asked for help from the government and did learned from the foreign ministry that he was one of the government's representatives at the meeting," the statement said.
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
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
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard