President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen and Tong inked the document at the Presidential Office, with the two heads of state promising to settle regional and international disputes through peaceful means such as dialogue and negotiations in line with principles of equality and fairness.
Chen and Tong also vowed to enhance and upgrade bilateral cooperative ventures based on their current cordial relations.
Praising Taiwan's development on the economic, political and social fronts, Tong thanked Chen for the warm reception that the government and its people extended to him and invited Chen to visit his South Pacific nation.
Tong also wished Chen success in his re-election bid and expressed his hope that he could visit Taiwan again to take part in Chen's inauguration in May.
Tong left for Kiribati later yesterday.
Prior to his departure, he was accorded a farewell ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.
On Thursday, Tong and his entourage were treated to a state banquet featuring Hakka food at a resort villa in Hsinchu County.
Tong and his wife arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a five-day visit. It was Tong's first visit to Taiwan after he assumed the presidency in July 2003.
While here, Chen and Tong discussed and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern and international affairs.
The two countries set up diplomatic ties in November last year, making Kiribati the 27th nation to recognize Taiwan.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS