People First Party (PFP) Chair-man James Soong (宋楚瑜) left for Seoul yesterday to meet with South Korean political leaders and business executives as part of the "pan-blue" alliance's presidential campaign activities.
Soong, who is Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
"We'll put forward a campaign platform that advocates `five yeses': Taiwan's status quo must be maintained, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait must co-exist peacefully, the people of Taiwan must have the final say on Taiwan's destiny, Taiwan's liberal, democratic lifestyle can never be compromised and its stability and prosperity must be sustained," he said.
Soong refrained from commenting directly on Chen's plan for a new Constitution in 2006, saying that he refused to comment on the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) campaign rhetoric.
Soong reminded the DPP that among Chen's "Five No's" were that he would not declare independence, would not seek to change the nation's name and would not promote a referendum that would change Taiwan's status quo.
Soong said he felt apprehension when he heard of Chen's comments about pushing for a new Constitution.
Soong said that as a national leader Chen should not have addressed such a critical issue in such a cavalier manner.
"Chen's overture only reflects the DPP's unrefined policy-making process," he said.
Soong said that during his trip he will brief South Korean politicians and business leaders on Taiwan's situation and the alliance's campaign platform.
"The visit is part of my good-neighbor drive aimed at helping our foreign friends understand the `pan-blue' alliance's basic policy lines and stances on a number of critical issues, including regional security and Taiwan's internal reforms," Soong said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost