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.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS