Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday called for more flexibility in organizing charter flights for the Lunar New Year holidays to better serve Taiwanese businesspeople stranded in China because of heavy snow.
Hsieh made the remarks during a visit to Hung Chi-chang (
Hsieh called on Taipei and Beijing to take into account whether the charter flight plan was convenient for Taiwanese businesspeople and consider extending the duration of the service and changing or adding more airports to the service.
The Mainland Affairs Council has said that this year's Lunar New Year charter flights will be implemented based on the 2006 negotiations, under which a total of 96 flights will fly between Taipei and Kaohsiung and the Chinese cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Xiamen.
The service first took place in 2003 to facilitate travel during the holiday period.
"Taiwan initially suggested that four more airports in China be included this year, but China agreed only to the four cities, citing the [original] agreement," Hung said.
Hung said the heavy snow that had stranded tens of thousands of travelers in China might be a chance for the both sides of the Strait to "make a breakthrough."
If Beijing would like to follow the "Macau Model," it might be possible to make last-minute adjustments to the airports used for the service, Hung said.
The model refers to the practice where both sides authorize representatives with government power to negotiate on issues under names acceptable to both sides.
"Despite tensions between the two sides of the Strait, humanitarian concerns should not be left behind. China should adopt a flexible way to deal with the problem if it is sincere in helping Taiwanese businesspeople avoid inconvenience," Hsieh said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
The US Department of State on Monday reaffirmed that US policy on Taiwan remains unchanged, following US President Donald Trump’s use of the term “unification” while commenting on recent trade talks with China. Speaking at a wide-ranging press conference, Trump described what he viewed as progress in trade negotiations with China held in Geneva, Switzerland, over the weekend. “They’ve agreed to open China — fully open China, and I think it’s going to be fantastic for China. I think it’s going to be fantastic for us,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be great for unification and peace.” Trump’s use of the
RSS