The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) urged the government yesterday to maintain its perspective on the issue of China amid the fiery disputes between the government and the opposition parties over Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (
Legislator Lo Chih-ming (
Noting that Lien and People First Party Chairman James Soong (
In order to lure Lien and Soong into consulting with the president, Lo said the government even hinted that it may ask them to negotiate with China on some issues on behalf of the country.
Taiwan will lose its sovereignty by authorizing opposition leaders to talk with China, the TSU lawmaker said.
Lo said China's recent enactment of the "Anti-Secession" Law against Taiwan has driven home to the world Beijing's hostility toward Taiwan and has opened a new chapter in Taiwan's diplomacy.
Instead of taking advantage of the opportunity to initiate diplomatic offensives, Lo said, the government has squandered the chance by arguing bitterly with the KMT over whether Lien should or should not visit China.
He urged the government to cool off the China fever among the opposition parties and turn its attention to domestic issues and the economy.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
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