President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) stance on trips by opposition leaders to China is consistent and has not wavered as his critics claim, Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday.
"President Chen's attitude toward the opposition leaders' China trips has been consistent. It's just that he expresses different points at different times when he speaks on these issues -- sometimes more tactically while some other times more straightforward," Yu said during a media conference yesterday.
Reporters had asked Yu why Chen had attacked the trip to China by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kun (江丙坤) while giving KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) China trip his blessing.
Yu said that the government's position has also been clear and consistent in regard to next week's visit to China by People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
Media reports have speculated that Washington has placed pressure on the Chen administration to reduce criticism of the trips.
In response to a question on the Presidential Office's communication with the US, Yu said Taiwan and the US had not raised their level or frequency of dialogue over the visits.
"According to my understanding, the president has not met with American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Douglas Paal for talks on the visits," Yu said.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Ma Yung-cheng (
Comparing national policy to driving a car, Ma said, "The car might sometimes lean a little to the left or to the right, but it never leaves the road. It just makes adjustments according to the traffic lights -- which are the national interest and public opinion."
Ma said the law clearly prevented opposition leaders from signing any agreements or reaching any type of oral accord with the other side of the Taiwan Strait on issues relating to national sovereignty without the consent or authorization of the government.
Asked for comment on Tuesday's clashes between pan-green and pan-blue camp supporters at CKS International Airport, Yu said the Presidential Office supported the Cabinet in its handling of the matter.
"The Presidential Office supports the Cabinet's decisions in the aftermath of the incident," he said, referring to Premier Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) pledge on Tuesday to bring the troublemakers to justice.
"It is regrettable that such a thing happened," he said.
Stating that the violence was the result of long-time confrontation between the rival camps, Yu said, "this is the very reason that President Chen has been promoting reconciliation between the two camps to try to bring an end to their confrontation."
Ma said that the reconciliation process was a difficult one.
"It is impossible for political parties that have been in confrontation with each other for the past four years to all of a sudden [solve their differences] ... in four days," he said.
"It takes time, wisdom and patience to address the rivalry and restore mutual trust between the camps," he said.
"Only time can restore the mutual trust that has been lacking between the ruling and opposition parties in the past years. Only time can prove whether or not both sides are sincere," Ma added, suggesting that both sides sit down for talks to seek a resolution, and that "it does not help to put the blame on either side."
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based