Print

Mail

wiki links

Taiwan Quick Take

■ Religion
Zen summer camp opens
Sixty college students from nine countries, including students from Harvard and Yale universities, started a one-month Zen Buddhism camp yesterday at Foguangshan in Kaohsiung County. Master Tzu Jung (慈容), secretary-general of the Taiwan-based Buddha's Light International Association, welcomed the students, saying that preaching peace is borderless and that getting to know a religion is a way of knowing oneself. She noted that Master Hsin Yun (星雲), founder of Foguangshan, wrote in his book Tsai Geng Tan that "to know thyself comes from self-reflection." But she pointed out that it was often difficult to review and reflect in modern life and that people often say or do something wrong without even realizing it.

■ Finance
Firm could attract capital
The government hopes that the Shenzhen-based Taiwanese company DXG Technology will be listed on Taiwan's stock exchange, an official at the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. DXG Technology, a maker of dual-mode camera and video drivers, is scheduled to hold its initial public offering next week. The company has yet to decide whether it will list on Taiwan's stock exchange or in China. Recent newspaper reports have said DXG may be the first local company to shift investment capital in China back to Taiwan.

■ Cross-Strait Ties
MAC plugs peace framework
Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) issued a call for a peace framework to settle political disputes between Taiwan and China in a keynote article published in the latest edition of the Far Eastern Economic Review. Wu proposed that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait first set up a framework to maintain peace and the status quo until they find a solution to end their long-term political problems. They should engage in conciliation and cooperation rather than confrontation and embarrassment, Wu said, adding that Taiwan is fully poised to work toward that end. He suggested that the peace framework could appear in the form of a joint declaration in which the establishment of negotiation mechanisms and military trust could be touched upon.

■ Diplomacy
New envoy meets Chen
New Malawi Ambassador Thengo Maloya presented his credentials to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday. Maloya presented the credentials in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (高英茂) and other Presidential Office officials were on hand to witness the ceremony. Chen welcomed Maloya to his new post, lauding him as an outstanding statesman who served as a parliamentarian for 36 years and in various posts in the Cabinet. Maloya's appointment demonstrates the solid relations between the two countries, he said. Chen also expressed his appreciation to Malawi for speaking up for Taiwan's bids to join the UN and other international organizations. He also asked Maloya to convey his congratulations to President Bingu Wa Mutharika on his election victory, and to thank former president Bakili Muluzi for his longstanding friendship and support for Taiwan. Chen also thanked former ambassador Eunice Kazembe for the contribution she made in promoting bilateral relations and congratulated her on her new Cabinet post.

This story has been viewed 2017 times.