Government officials reacted cautiously to former Chinese president Jiang Zemin's (江澤民) resignation from the chairmanship of China's Central Military Commission yesterday and warned against excessive optimism in cross-strait developments after Jiang's departure.
Jiang's resignation and Chinese President Hu Jintao's (胡錦濤) succession to China's top military post sparked a flurry of reactions among Taiwanese officials. "This vital step probably won't affect Beijing's Taiwan policy," said Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council. Any change in China's Taiwan policy is likely to remain unclear until the after the US presidential election and Taiwan's legislative elections are concluded, Chiu said. Jiang's move consolidated the leadership of Hu and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), according to Chiu.
"China will possibly set economic development as the country's top priority, but if this is true, it remains to be seen whether Taiwan will remain high on Beijing's priority list," he said.
The new leadership in Beijing, added Chiu, bears more good than bad news to Taiwan. The leaders tend to make group decisions, which would prevent the government from making hasty decisions, Chiu added.
"Although Jiang has stepped down, he still retains a certain level of influence. It is unlikely Hu would be able to fully control the military, making China's Taiwan policy virtually unchangeable in the short term," said Cabinet spokesman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁).
"Jiang's Eight Points" principle will remain the guideline for Beijing's policy toward Taiwan, according to Chen.
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 US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative.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
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner