Ranking Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials yesterday said the "red team" -- a colloquial term for pro-Beijing US academics and officials -- which was critical of President Chen Shui-bian's (
DPP Deputy Secretary-General Lee Ying-yuan (
Lee's remarks were made in response to a report by Mainland Affairs Council Chairman Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) after his trip to the US from July 11 to July 17 to visit various think tanks, congressmembers, officials and media figures.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu said in his report that US-Taiwan relations are stable, but still needed further efforts to strengthen bilateral interaction and understanding.
Wu said observers from think tanks in Taiwan, China and the US expressed concern over the conflict of internal opinion in Taiwanese society, manifested in the disagreements among the ruling and opposition parties over the results of the presidential election and the assassination attempt on Chen.
Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) urged the government to tighten up the coordination of "internal opinion," in the wake of Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) "Bulletgate" pamphlets to US government officials in which the party "made false accusations against the DPP surrounding the election-eve assassination attempt on Chen."
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), who attended the CSC meeting for the first time yesterday, suggested that officials -- particularly legislators -- make more frequent visits to US think tanks and academic institutions for short-term studies to enhance the US' understanding of Taiwan's policies.
DPP Legislator Trong Chai (
Chai said the number of Taiwanese students studying in the US stood at about 29,000 each year, falling far behind the 60,000 Chinese students going to the US for study annually.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Su Tseng-chang (
Su said many Taiwanese students, having spent a long time living in the US and possessing sufficient knowledge about the culture of both the US and Taiwanese societies, could be very useful in bridging barriers.
In his report, Wu indicated the viewpoints shared by some US officials who are regarded as "Taiwan's friends," saying "the US government was deeply concerned over the internal conflicts of the Chinese leadership after the visit by US National Security Advisor Condolezza Rice to Beijing in early July."
President Chen yesterday reiterated the government's determination to push for a peaceful and stable framework across Taiwan Strait.
In related issues, as the party opened the 11th CSC meeting yesterday, President Chen played down speculations that the inclusion of the four likely successors to Chen attending the CSC meeting has anything to do with the DPP's power transfer.
"The DPP has never had any problem with choosing successors, and we don't need to be devious or creative on this subject," Chen said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard