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.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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