Government officials yesterday denied that Taiwan's top representative to the US, Chen Chien-jen (
Chen Chien-jen, head of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Washington, returned to Taipei on Sunday. His packed schedule includes meetings with the president, Premier Yu Shyi-kun and other government officials.
He was scheduled to have a coffee-break meeting with reporters yesterday afternoon, but cancelled the meeting due to health problems, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
"People come under pressure no matter what they do. Pressure can push people to work harder," Chen Chien-jen said before undergoing a health check at the National Taiwan University Hospital.
Responding to a media report that Chen Chien-jen had decided to hand in his resignation after settling the referendum issue with the US, Yu said the envoy did not mention resigning at all during a meeting on Thursday.
At this meeting Chen Chien-jen briefed Yu on Taiwan-US ties and the US' attitude concerning the government's proposed referendum. Yu said Chen Chien-jen had told him that the US' fundamental policy toward Taiwan had not changed.
Chen Chien-jen on Monday told the legislature that he and his colleagues were facing an "unprecedented situation" in trying to communicate with the US regarding the referendum issue, which he admitted has strained the relationship between Taiwan and the US.
He acknowledged that he had come under increased pressure to address US concerns about the referendum.
Yu said Chen Chien-jen would not resign before March 20, the day the presidential election as well as the referendum are slated to take place. He said Chen Chien-jen would remain in his post until at least May 20, when the new president is to be inaugurated.
The envoy is believed to have been one of the key figures that had contributed to Chen Shui-bian's high-profile reception by the US during his stopover in New York in October last year.
"Chen Chien-jen is an able and professional diplomat," Yu said.
Although Chen Chien-jen is a former member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), he is not currently affiliated with any party and "has devoted himself to our country regardless of political party barriers," Yu said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新), who has held long discussions with Chen Chien-jen on the referendum issue, said the envoy is "full of confidence in communicating with the US about Taiwan's referendum."
"He [Chen Chien-jen] is reasonably optimistic about communications with the US. He did not mention anything about resignation to me," Chien said.
Presidential Office spokesman James Huang (
"The president highly approves of the envoy's performance and hopes he can continue serving our country," Huang said.
Chen Chien-jen was appointed to his current position in 2000. He has previously offered to resign after airport guards had conducted a physical search of first lady Wu Shu-chen (
The KMT called for his resignation last year after criticizing his reception of Lien Fang Yu (
"Every time Chen Chien-jen returned to Taipei for briefings or did something that the KMT was unhappy with, the KMT would ask him to resign," said the Democratic Progressive Party's legislative caucus leader, Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁).
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS