■ Cross-strait ties
Unification must wait: Ma
The time is not yet ripe for unification between Taiwan and China, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview with Newsweek magazine. Ma, who also serves as Taipei mayor, said while Beijing does not want to see Taiwan pursue de jure independence, it is also refraining from pushing for unification at the moment. For Taiwan, Ma said, the most important thing at present is to maintain the status quo and refrain from provoking Beijing. Taiwan should instead promote cross-strait trade and investment and take steps to ease the cross-strait tension, he added. In the interview with Newsweek correspondent Jonathan Adams, Ma said that unification is the ultimate goal for the KMT but it doesn't have a timetable for realizing that goal. He said he doesn't think that either side is ready for unification yet as the situation is not ripe.
■ Defense
Schools get defense courses
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday announced it would strengthen defense education in schools to raise people's awareness about China's military threat and its psychological, legal and media warfare against the nation. The government has decided to ask elementary schools, high schools and universities to strengthen defense education, and the ministry will offer teaching materials. Considering the possibility that China may launch a surprise attack on the nation's political and economic center, Taipei City, the ministry said the defense education will train people how to cope with an unexpected military attack. The ministry said that although students are currently required to take defense courses, these focus on military skills, while the new courses would highlight defense consciousness.
■ Society
Woman at CKS for a month
A Malaysian woman has been stranded at CKS International Airport in Taoyuan for more than a month, a local newspaper reported on Saturday. Amy He, 25, told the Chinese-language Apple Daily that she is awaiting the arrival of her father, a Taiwanese businessman, who is reportedly in the Philippines on business. The woman had traveled to Taiwan twice this year to visit her father, the paper said, but lost contact with him and came to Taiwan to wait for him. Her visa expired on Dec. 9, but immigration authorities allowed her to extend it for one month. Staff at the airport have been helping the woman by providing her with food and coins to call her sick mother in Malaysia.
■ Society
Christmas events planned
In an effort to make this year's Christmas events more spiritual and less commercial, the Taipei City Government has partnered with the Taipei branch of the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan to host Christmas activities with a focus on understanding and tranquility. A series of events, including a theme Christmas tree, a Christmas cafe, a "Spreading the love from Taipei to the World" prayer session, Christmas Mass and Christmas Gospel, will be held between now and Christmas Day, the city government said. A special prayer session will be held at the observatory deck of Taipei 101 on Thursday. The main Christmas Eve celebration will take place at the Taipei Multifunctional Arena on the night of Dec. 24. Free tickets can be obtained at the city government's information department and several other locations. For more information, visit the Web site www.doi.tcg.gov.tw.
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
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
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard