Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Wang said he would seriously consider making a trip to China when such a trip would benefit national interests, the people of Taiwan agree on his visit, the legislature is resolved on the issue and the Chinese authorities are willing to offer him treatment based on the principles of equality and dignity.
Wang said he would like to visit China only when all four conditions are met. Otherwise, he said, "the trip would be futile."
He made the remarks in response to a report by Hong Kong's Wen Wei Po newspaper yesterday that quoted Chen Jiande (
The legislative speaker has expressed his willingness since early this year to meet the Beijing authorities for talks on the problems faced by most China-based Taiwan investors and the rights and interests of Taiwanese businessmen operating in China -- known locally as taishang.
Wang, a stalwart of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), noted on Feb. 17 that KMT former chairman Lien Chan (
Nevertheless, Wang went on, none of the agreements have been put into force because of a lack of consensus with the Democratic Progressive Party government.
If given the opportunity, Wang said, he would also be willing to negotiate with the Chinese authorities on other major cross-strait affairs, including the signing of a cross-strait peace accord.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it