Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairman Joseph Wu (
He made the remarks after former president Lee Teng-hui (
Misunderstanding?
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu made the clarification yesterday after proposing a special report on adopting the small three links in Penghu at the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) weekly central standing committee.
He said that Lee and some TSU members might have misunderstood an announcement by Premier Frank Hsieh (
The "small three links" refer to direct cargo, passenger and postal links between Kinmen and Xiamen, China, as well as Matsu and Mawei, China. The links were set up in 2001.
Wu yesterday said that the policies the government has adopted regarding Penghu are not new and that it has never changed its cross-strait policy toward the islands.
"The small three links will be carried out in the form of special cases. It will not be a normalized and regular policy in the near future," Wu said.
Wu also said that Penghu had adopted the small three links model in 2002 for a religious exchange and added that the small three links will be implemented in Penghu like an experiment using individual cases.
Plan slammed
Speaking at a separate event, TSU Chairman Shu Chin-chiang (
Shu's remarks immediately made the atmosphere awkward.
Shu said that Lee's opposition to opening up the small three links in Penghu was because the islands were likely to become a paradise for smugglers and illegal immigrants if the government did not prepare a thorough national security plan.
"It would be an incomplete policy to open up the small three links in Penghu without a well-rounded plan," Shu said.
Shu denounced those who supported the new policy as being either politicos or businessmen who don't consider the interests of the people of Taiwan.
Sitting beside Shu, Su looked embarrassed and did not respond to his criticisms.
The two men did not talk to each other and left the news conference separately.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS