Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday that the special task force on cross-strait affairs that the legislature is planning to set up will facilitate direct and effective exchanges between Taiwan and China.
As to his proposal to invite Wu Bangguo (吳邦國), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, to visit, Wang said the proposal will have to be approved by the task force and the legislature before it can be carried out.
Wang, who is also a vice chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), put forth the proposal on Tuesday and immediately met opposition from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Taiwan Solidarity Union legislators.
As for the visit to China by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (
Wang said the KMT hopes to do something for the country and should not be mistaken as intending to conduct some kind of peace talks with the Chinese Communist Party.
According to Wang, the KMT is seeking various means to try to remove the barriers between the two sides.
For example, Wang said, a visit by a KMT delegation earlier this year helped clear the way for the launch of the cross-strait Lunar New Year charter flights.
He said that the visit to China by KMT members is a kind of civil exchange and that the KMT does not represent the country without the government's authorization.
He also said that the postponement of the KMT chairmanship election until July has nothing to do with Chairman Lien Chan's (
DPP Legislator Trong Chai (
Chai also called Wang's proposal to recognize Chinese academic degrees "a very dangerous thing," warning that "Taiwan could be subverted" by people who receive education in China if the proposal is adopted by the government.
Lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang, also of the DPP, said inviting Wu to Taiwan is not something the country and its people need.
He urged Wang to stop using cross-Taiwan Strait issues as a means of boosting his chances of winning his competition with Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
DPP Legislator Pan Meng-an, meanwhile, accused Wang of betraying the sovereignty of Taiwan just to win the support of pan-blue alliance hardliners.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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