The itinerary of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) upcoming visit to China will be released today, KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) said yesterday after lengthy discussions with high-ranking Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in Beijing.
The KMT will announce the itinerary at the weekly meeting of its policy-making Central Standing Committee, Lin said, adding that the Beijing-based Taiwan Affairs Office under the State Council will also issue a statement today, now that Lien's itinerary has been fixed.
Lin, who arrived home last night, said that his talks with Taiwan Affairs Office Director Chen Yunlin (
Reiterating that Lien will do his utmost to protect Taiwan's dignity, seek benefits for the people of Taiwan and make peace in the Strait when he meets Chinese President Hu Jintao (
The KMT will staunchly safeguard the interests of the Republic of China that it founded 95 years ago, he said, but denied speculation that the KMT is preparing to sign a truce agreement with the CCP.
He also said that "everyone" is welcome to join forces to build peace and create benefits for the people on both sides, referring to the latest development that Hu also extended an invitation to People First Party Chairman James Soong (
The KMT official arrived in Beijing on Monday to arrange Lien's visit to China, where he will make stops in Nanjing, Shanghai, Xi'an and Beijing. Lien is slated to meet CCP General-Secretary Hu in Beijing, marking a KMT-CCP encounter unprecedented in more than 60 years amid long-standing hostility between the two political parties.
Meanwhile, more than 100 reporters with Taiwan's media organizations have applied to cover Lien's visit to China, the KMT said.
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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