In response to PFP Chairman James Soong's (
"Everyone in Taiwan is free to go to China since Taiwan is a democratic society," Su said. "But I once again call on them to respect the country's laws when it comes to matters involving the government's authority."
On the question of whether there will be another meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Soong before Soong's trip to China, Su said he is not aware of Soong's intentions, but that but the more communication between politicians and the government, the better off the country will be.
Echoing Su's remark, DPP legislative whip Lai Ching-teh (
Lai said he thinks it likely that Lien will indeed make a visit to China, after he was invited by Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Lien is set to visit China later this month. The visit will make Lien the first KMT chairman to set foot on Chinese soil since the KMT withdrew to Taiwan more than five decades ago. Soong will likely visit Beijing in early May, also at the invitation of Hu.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) suggested yesterday that Soong hold a second meeting with President Chen to get government authorization before he visits China. TSU whip Lo Chih-ming (
The TSU is opposed to visits by political party leaders to China without government authorization because such visits, even if made in private capacities, erode Taiwan's sovereignty and undermine the president's legal status as head of state, Lo said.
Chen and Soong met on Feb. 24 and clinched a 10-point agreement pledging, among other things, to maintain the national title of the Republic of China and not to declare Taiwanese independence, in a move to mitigate cross-strait tensions.
TSU Legislator Ho Min-hao (
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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