People First Party (PFP) spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (
During Chen's telephone call with Soong, Hsieh said at a press conference, Soong emphasized multiple times his commitment to the 10-point consensus formulated between him and Chen in February. He added that his commitment to those points would not change or be swayed by the political situation within the nation.
Respect
Hsieh also refused to confirm or deny Chen's remarks that there had been a second, secret Chen-Soong meeting, saying only that the PFP understands and respects Chen's comments.
During their high-profile meeting in February, Chen and Soong formulated a 10-point agreement on cross-strait relations, national defense and ethnic relations that confirmed their mutual support for the institution of the Republic of China.
Since the meeting with Chen, Soong and the PFP have repeatedly referred to the 10-point consensus as the underlying principle on which their stance on cross-strait relations is based, leading to speculation that the relationship between the administration and the nation's third-largest party is friendlier than appearances might suggest.
Yesterday however, the PFP stressed that Soong is heading to China on Thursday only in his capacity as PFP chairman and does not represent the government.
"Our position is clear. We do not represent the [Taiwanese] authorities," Hsieh said.
At the press conference, Hsieh also emphasized that both Soong and the PFP have long supported the so-called "1992 consensus" and that that support will not change.
Given that both Chen and Soong were expressing mutual support for each other's journeys, Hsieh said, Saturday's telephone was not recorded and there was also no purpose in keeping the phone call secret.
Chen left on a trip to visit South Pacific allies on Sunday.
Talks with Beijing
PFP lawmaker Lee Yung-ping (
Lee, also a caucus whip, said Soong and Hu will go into concrete details and set up a cooperation structure to help bolster interaction between Taiwan and China on a wide range of issues when the two meet early this month in Beijing.
Among the many issues on the table will be the question of how China can help Taiwan enter the World Health Organization, she said, adding that the two men will not sign any accord or issue any press communique following their meeting.
The consensus reached between Soong and Hu will be recorded in written form and submitted to the government for reference, she said.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
RSS