Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (
Playing a segment of a radio program about Siew's "cross-strait common market" concept, Cheng Wen-tsang (
The three steps are "cross-strait transportation links," "an agreement on trade reciprocity" and "a uniform currency and no tariffs," Cheng said.
Cheng urged Siew to act responsibly and refrain from flinching when his theories are challenged.
When questioned by the Hsieh camp, Siew initially accused the rival camp of distorting his idea but later conceded that he had used the term "one China market" in discussing his "cross-strait common market" platform.
Siew, however, argued that his economic policy would not lead to unification with China.
Cheng said yesterday that Siew's proposal to allow the free flow of currency, people, capital, products and services would "poison" rather than "invigorate" the domestic economy.
Hsieh Hsin-ni (
"How does he expect people to believe that he can put his theory into practice if they win?" she said.
During a visit to a temple in Beitou (
Once Chinese workers are allowed into the country, local workers will have a hard time finding a job, he said.
Instead of establishing a "common market," Hsieh said that he had proposed strengthening the crackdown on Chinese products smuggled into the country, tightening inspections of Chinese food products and toys, lowering the inheritance tax to 10 percent, cutting income taxes and attracting global capital to invest in Taiwan.
Meanwhile, the DPP caucus yesterday again criticized KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou's (
"In China, a fake high school diploma costs 200 yuan and a fake college diploma costs NT$1,000, and these fake diplomas are available almost everywhere," DPP legislative caucus whip Yeh Yi-ching (
DPP Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said she was concerned that the nation's 172 universities and colleges would have a difficult time recruiting students and the 500,000 people whose jobs are related to schools would be under threat if Chinese degrees were recognized.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
A saleswoman, surnamed Chen (陳), earlier this month was handed an 18-month prison term for embezzling more than 2,000 pairs of shoes while working at a department store in Tainan. The Tainan District Court convicted Chen of embezzlement in a ruling on July 7, sentencing her to prison for illegally profiting NT$7.32 million (US$248,929) at the expense of her employer. Chen was also given the opportunity to reach a financial settlement, but she declined. Chen was responsible for the sales counter of Nike shoes at Tainan’s Shinkong Mitsukoshi Zhongshan branch, where she had been employed since October 2019. She had previously worked
The Taipei District Court today ruled to extend the incommunicado detention of former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and Taipei City Councilor Angela Ying (應曉薇) for two more months as part of an ongoing corruption trial. Codefendants in the case — real-estate tycoon Sheen Ching-jing (沈慶京) and Ko's former mayoral office head Lee Wen-tsung (李文宗) — were granted bail of NT$100 million (US$3.4 million) and NT$20 million respectively. Sheen and Lee would also be barred from leaving the country for eight months and prohibited from contact with, harassing, threatening or inquiring after the case with codefendants or witnesses. The two would also be