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.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence