The Cabinet yesterday appealed to the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (AmCham) to recognize efforts the government has made to bring about direct links with China, and said it hoped that AmCham could act as a catalyst for cross-strait negotiations.
"We have considerably eased cross-strait restrictions on exchanges of skilled workers, capital and goods over the years," Cabinet Spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) quoted Premier Yu Shyi-kun as saying. "We ac-knowledge the suggestions made by AmCham and do take them seriously."
The crux of the problem, however, was Beijing, which was continuing to ignore goodwill gestures extended by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, Chen said.
"I'm calling on Beijing to sit down with us at the negotiating table and talk about the issue of direct links," Yu was quoted as saying. "It's not at all conducive to cross-strait talks to place political obstacles between the two sides."
Beijing should approach the problem of direct transportation links and other cross-strait issues with more creativity and a more pro-active attitude, Yu was quoted as saying.
"Cross-strait issues cannot be resolved and political differences cannot be put aside if there are no negotiations," he said.
The Cabinet was responding to a call by AmCham to improve economic ties with China in its 2004 Taiwan White Paper which was released on Tuesday.
The paper said that Taiwan's status as a regional economic hub would be in jeopardy if direct transportation links across the Taiwan Strait were not established.
The lack of direct links with China has become a symbol of Taiwan's isolation from Asia's fastest-growing market, the report said.
AmCham has issued the annual publication since 1996.
Saying he would take into account AmCham's suggestions, Yu also expressed a desire to meet with AmCham officials to listen to their opinions personally.
"We'd also like [AmCham] to help us with the government's campaign to sign a Free Trade Agreement [FTA] with the US," Yu said.
Yu has announced that the Cabinet will set up a special task force to speed up negotiations for an FTA, which stalled at the beginning of last year. This was one of four goals mapped out by Yu for the new Cabinet.
On the economic front, Yu has proposed developing an economic alliance with diplomatic and non-diplomatic allies, particularly the US and Japan.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS