Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Soong, who was the only candidate in the second PFP chairmanship election, won with 99.19 percent of the 36,563 ballots cast.
In his congratulatory message, Hu expressed the hope that both Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the PFP will continue to work toward promoting the development of cross-strait relations.
Hu last Sunday had also sent a message of congratulations to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on winning the election as the party chairman. Hu in that message, he also urged Ma to "join hands" with the CCP.
Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生), PFP secretary-general, expressed his appreciation on behalf of Soong -- who is on vacation in the US -- in a reciprocal letter, which was later signed by Soong.
Soong said he will continue to dedicate himself to the promotion of cross-strait peace and development as well as the promotion of exchanges and cooperation with China.
Meanwhile, to move forward with the six-point agreement reached between Soong and Hu -- who doubles as CCP's general secretary -- during their meeting in Beijing May 12, the PFP is planning to co-sponsor an economic forum in Shanghai, party officials said yesterday.
They said scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait as well as neighboring countries will be invited to attend the forum to discuss issues, including cross-strait free trade zones, prospects for the Asian economic integration and regional cooperation.
If all goes well, Soong could visit China again in September and meet with Chinese leaders. Soong traveled to China in early May on what he called a "bridge-building journey."
China could also send "very high ranking" officials to attend the forum, Soong's aides said.
After Soong's visit to China in May, the PFP decided to form a cross-strait task force to promote cross-strait relations and exchanges, with PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) serving as convener. There are 13 teams under the task force, and a party agricultural team has visited China several times to promote Taiwanese fruit exports to China.
The aides said that they don't intend to compete with a cross-strait forum planned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which is scheduled to take place in Taipei in August, saying that the timing and the theme of the two forums will be different.
They said that initial planning calls for the forum to be made up of business elite will focus on cross-strait financial and regional economic integration.
Soong could stay in Shanghai for a longer time and there will be no other visits, party officials said. To promote channels of communication between the PFP and the CCP, the party could also send a delegation to visit Beijing again to exchange views with Chinese leaders.
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
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS