Therese Shaheen, former chairwoman of the American Institute in Taiwan, is a good friend of this country and she should not be a source of political bickering, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative leader said yesterday.
Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), a DPP party whip, discounted opposition allegations that Shaheen is in Taiwan for talks on US arms sales to Taipei.
Tsai called for the opposition not to inject domestic political struggles among parties into bilateral relations.
He urged the opposition not to besmirch Shaheen as an arms broker, saying that no one would be Taiwan's friend if an American citizen were groundlessly labeled as an arms broker simply because she or he made an effort to help improve bilateral ties.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus ridiculed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) decoration of Shaheen with the "Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon" yesterday "in recognition of her contributions to promoting Taiwan-US ties during her time with the AIT."
Huang Teh-fu (
Huang said the DPP administration is bringing shame on itself if Shaheen was decorated this time because of her "true" role in arms sales.
The People First Party's next legislative whip, Liu Wen-hsiung (劉文雄), said Shaheen is by no means an architect of bilateral cooperation.
Shaheen's stepping down reflects the fact that the US administration was not satisfied with her performance, Liu said, adding that Chen's decoration of Shaheen is tantamount to a slap in the face to the Bush administration.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS