Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Wu made the remarks at the Legislative Yuan's Home and Nations Committee one day before Lien is set to conclude his eight-day China visit.
Commenting on the matter on Sunday, Chen said Lien had behaved with propriety as an opposition leader because he had honored his promise and did not sign any agreement involving government affairs with China.
Wu said the president's comment should not be mistaken as an endorsement for the conclusions of the Lien-Hu talks, pointing out that Lien did not assert the sovereignty of the Republic of China and express Taiwan's objection to the "Anti-Secession" Law during the talks.
Wu said the government respects the different viewpoints held by different political parties and believes that it was not against the law for the KMT to release a news statement to outline the main points of the Lien-Hu talks in written form.
On Hu's proposals that Taiwan and China should establish political trust, enhance economic cooperation, open negotiations on an equal footing and encourage cross-strait civic exchanges, Wu dismissed the overtures as containing nothing new.
Although China is promoting exchanges with Taiwan, it still firmly opposes Taiwan independence and sticks to the "one China" principle, Wu noted.
According to Wu, by inviting Lien to visit China, Beijing was trying to bring down the pressure from the international community in the wake of the enactment of its Anti-Secession Law that threatens the use of non-peaceful means against Taiwan.
In the face of China's international isolation of Taiwan and military threat, a consensus on cross-strait policy is required among various political parties, Wu said.
As to People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong's (
With Soong having had two meetings with Chen over the past two months and having reached a 10-point agreement with the president, the government is not worried about his China trip, Wu said.
However, he said, Soong's trip is not being made under the government's authorization and that Soong only represents the PFP.
Wu said he believes it is the expectation of the majority of people in Taiwan that Chen can visit China under the principles of equality, peace and dignity and discuss cross-strait issues with China leaders.
Chen said Sunday that he had asked Soong to pass on some messages to Hu but did not elaborate what the messages were.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS