The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday said only a pan-blue victory in Saturday's elections can ensure peace and prosperity for Taiwan, but the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus hit back by saying the KMT will only ensure stability through surrender.
"Of course there won't be any cross-strait war if the KMT wins the elections, because they will surrender to all of China's demands," DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said. "The question is whether surrender is what the people of Taiwan really want. I believe they will make a wise choice on Saturday."
Lai made the remarks in response to claims from the KMT caucus earlier yesterday morning that Taiwan can only have a safe future and prevent a cross-strait war from breaking out if the KMT wins half of the total seats in the polls.
KMT caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) said the Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) administration has been pushing for independence since the transfer of power in 2000, and gradually widening the cross-strait divide.
"We are calling on the electorate to teach the DPP a lesson on Saturday and resume the cross-strait policies of the former KMT administration, which are reciprocal cross-strait exchanges and a win-win economic relationship," she said.
In other related election news, the DPP caucus requested yesterday the KMT's Taipei County commissioner candidate Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) explain whether he was involved in fraudulent business transactions, which entitled him to rake in millions of NT dollars.
DPP Legislator Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said Chou's company asked a bank to issue a letter of credit to enable it to import fashion items worth 208 million Lira (US$126,560) from Italy in March 1997.
Chou later failed to pick up the shipment or pay the bank, forcing the bank to auction the items, fetching only half of the amount in return.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai