Nearly every member of the Welfare State Alliance, a faction of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), has come out in opposition to DPP Legislator Lee Chun-yee's (
They said that the alliance will not support Lee's proposal since it calls for an open approach to China-bound investment.
On Monday, Lee, the leader of the alliance, announced that it planned to hold a meeting yesterday with alliance members to hammer out a new resolution on China policy for the DPP.
PHOTO: WANG MIN-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
Lee, who is also a key member of former premier Frank Hsieh's (
Lee then suggested drafting a new party resolution on China policy calling for the adoption of a more open approach to cross-strait economic exchanges.
During the meeting yesterday, alliance member and DPP Legislator Wang Shih-cheng (
Wang stressed that the Welfare State Alliance was "the last line of defense for defending Taiwan's sovereignty" and that it was inappropriate for the alliance to support a resolution that embraces China's market with open arms.
Wang ripped up a copy of the proposal and threatened to withdraw from the alliance if it insisted on submitting it to the DPP's national convention, which is scheduled to be held in July.
"I don't think this proposal will benefit Hsieh's approval rating," Wang added.
DPP legislators You Ching (
Facing members' vehement opposition, Lee defended the proposal, saying that it did not mean abandoning Taiwan's sovereignty. He said the alliance would revisit the topic on another occasion.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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