China held out a clutch of potential economic agreements with Taiwan yesterday at the end of a meeting in Beijing ahead of Chinese President Hu Jintao's (
The announcement came during a visit to Beijing by former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (
Beijing is trying to isolate President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) by forging ties with the pan-blue camp and offering trade concessions to appeal to the nation's farmers.
China's offers of aviation, agricultural and finance deals came in a statement after a two-day forum between Chinese Communist officials and KMT officials.
"We must strive to normalize, regularize and stabilize cross-strait economic relations," Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), the chief of the Chinese Communist Party's Taiwan Affairs Office, told the meeting yesterday.
Chen and other Chinese officials urged Taiwan to agree to negotiate on steadily expanding direct air flights between the two sides. Currently, such flights only happen over the Lunar New Year holiday, and Taiwanese visitors to China must usually change planes in Hong Kong or Macao.
China also offered to lower barriers for Taiwan-grown fruit, vegetables and other farm goods.
But the proposals are unlikely to have any direct effect on official government dealings between China and Taiwan, which are frozen by political hostility.
On Friday, Lien said Taiwan can't succeed economically without China's markets and factories.
The measures announced yesterday will add four types of Taiwan-grown fruit to a list of 18 varieties that can be imported into China, extend tax-free import status to 11 new types of vegetables and let Taiwanese fishing boats sell their catch in Chinese markets, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.
In addition, Chinese produce-marketing cooperatives will organize buying trips to Taiwan during fruit harvest season, Xinhua said.
It said China will set up a marketing center in Xiamen, the Chinese port city closest to Taiwan, to "bring convenience and reduce costs for Taiwan's fruit imports."
Chen, the Chinese official, said Beijing would also:
-- allow Taiwanese to apply for licenses to practice medicine in China.
-- expand the number of city governments that are authorized to issue permits for Taiwanese to enter China.
-- allow Taiwanese to apply for jobs as Chinese customs inspectors.
-- recognize diplomas issued by Taiwanese universities.
Beijing announced an earlier round of concessions for Taiwanese farm imports during a visit last year by Lien.
Taiwanese business executives attending the Beijing meeting said it would increase pressure on Chen to seek agreement with Beijing on flights and other economic issues.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President