Hong Kong's refusal of Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
"If it is indeed because Ma spoke negatively about the anti-secession legislation that he is unable to go to Hong Kong, then this would prove to be a complete obliteration of the `one country, two systems' model," Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Vice Chairman Chiu Tai-san (
Media reports from Hong Kong have pointed to Ma's recent criticism of China's anti-secession bill as the reason behind the visa complications, but Chiu said the council was working to get an official explanation.
Chiu also responded to inquiries as to whether Ma's announcement that he'd failed to secure a visa was politically motivated, aimed at demonstrating to Taiwanese constituents that his relationship with Chinese authorities is not as cozy as some believe.
While Chiu responded in the negative, saying that the presidential elections were a long way off, he said he felt that the Hong Kong government's rejection of Ma's visa application made evident the possible impact of the anti-secession law.
"If someone like Ma is unable to secure a visa because of his remarks regarding the anti-secession bill, then what will become of others in Taiwan who criticize the bill? Won't it be even worse? The withholding of a visa for Ma will only turn the Taiwanese people away from the bill," Chiu said.
Meanwhile, Taiwan's de facto representative to Hong Kong, Pao Cheng-kang (鮑正鋼), yesterday echoed the Executive Yuan, calling on the government of Hong Kong to provide an explanation for its refusal to issue Ma a visa, according to the Central News Agency.
"Ma was to visit Hong Kong at the invitation of Hong Kong University ... and the visit would have had nothing to do with politics. Many citizens of Hong Kong have already expressed regret regarding the government's temporary refusal to issue a visa," the news agency quoted Pao as saying.
Pao said he had already contacted Hong Kong officials for an explanation, but that no response had been given.
According to the report, Pao said that the government's suggestion that Hong Kong University invite Ma again in April indicated there was some flexibility in the matter.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
The first tropical storm of the year in the western North Pacific, Wutip (蝴蝶), has formed over the South China Sea and is expected to move toward Hainan Island off southern China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The agency said a tropical depression over waters near the Paracel and Zhongsha islands strengthened into a tropical storm this morning. The storm had maximum sustained winds near its center of 64.8kph, with peak gusts reaching 90kph, it said. Winds at Beaufort scale level 7 — ranging from 50kph to 61.5kph — extended up to 80km from the center, it added. Forecaster Kuan Hsin-ping
RSS