Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday warned Beijing to keep its hands off the presidential election, one day after Shanghai authorities banned KMT supporters from campaigning in that city.
Lien told a campaign rally in Taipei that China's behavior in the run-up to the 1996 and 2000 presidential elections had aroused deep antipathy.
"I would like to ask the Chinese authorities not to interfere in Taiwan's election," he said.
He dismissed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) allegation that the KMT has won favor from China and Taiwanese fugitives living there because the party is on their side.
Lien called on Chen not to manipulate anti-China sentiment by emphasizing Beijing's interference in the election.
"Chen should instead tell the people what he has done over the past four years," Lien said.
Zhang Mingqing (張銘清), a spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) of China's State Council, said yesterday that China-based Taiwanese businesspeople need to obtain official permission to organize campaign groups.
"The TAO is not the agency to authorize such activities ? So far, the government has not received any application to form campaign groups," he said, commenting on Shanghai's ban on a political meeting by supporters of the pan-blue camp.
Former justice minister Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪) was one of the organizers of that meeting.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) criticized Lien and his running mate, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), yesterday for sending Liao to solicit the votes of China-based Taiwanese.
According to Lin, Liao began his campaigning activities in China after the pan-blue camp obtained Beijing's consent. Lin said that the TAO had allowed the pan-blue camp to set up a supporters association near its office in Beijing and he urged China and the pan-blue camp to unveil their "secret deal."
"The TAO should explain why it did not prohibit the establishment of the supporters association and only voiced opposition to it after it opened," Lin said.
He said it appears Beijing is trying to influence the election by allowing Taiwanese fugitives to campaign for the pan-blue camp. China should repatriate these criminals to prove it is not trying affect the election, Lin said.
Zhang said China would neither comment nor interfere with the election, rebuffing criticism from Taipei that Beijing has plotted a number of events with Taiwanese businesspeople to influence the poll. He also denied that the TAO had any role in former Tuntex chairman Chen Yu-hao's (
Media reports have suggested the revelations were partly encouraged by mid-ranking TAO officials. Zhang stressed it was the Chen Yu-hao's idea to disclose the donation.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
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