The Presidential Office yesterday dismissed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou's (
"Exactly when and where did he say anything to criticize China's Anti-Secession Law? We are very curious to know whether he can produce any evidence to prove his argument," said Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (
Guts
Cho made the remarks in response to a comment made by Ma on Saturday. Ma said that he had the guts to stand up against China because he was the first Taiwanese official to voice opposition to China's Anti-Secession Law after the legislation was passed in March last year.
Cho said that in contrast to Ma's docility, President Chen Shui-bian (
"We'd like to know where Chairman Ma was during the course of time? Exactly what did he say to oppose the legislation and what message did he convey to China on behalf of the people of Taiwan?" Cho asked.
Reminder
Cho said that he wanted to remind the public that it was the opposition leaders who visited China after Beijing passed the Anti-Secession Law and the opposition parties who organized a march yesterday to denounce the president.
As Ma yesterday left for a visit to the the US, Cho called on Ma to refresh his memory on the efforts taken by the people of Taiwan to oppose the law and to truly recount the matter to the international community rather than producing a "political lie that will incur the ridicule of the international community."
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