The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus yesterday criticized vice president-elect Vincent Siew’s (蕭萬長) weekend trip to the Boao Forum in China, calling it a “disgrace” for Taiwan.
“I really hope that when Taiwan and China resume their talks in the future, the way Siew was treated in Boao will not become a regular occurrence,” DPP caucus whip William Lai (賴清德) said during a press conference yesterday morning.
Lai said that China had treated Siew like a local government head since Siew was made to sit with the chief executives of Hong Kong and Macau. Siew also had to use his “Taiwan compatriot travel document” to enter China, they said.
“All of the related documents, propaganda and the Web site for the Boao Forum listed Taiwan along with Hong Kong and Macau as parts of China. The Chinese government also took advantage of this international event to promote its ‘one China’ policy. These moves all jeopardized Taiwan’s sovereignty,” DPP deputy caucus whip Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said.
PRAISE FOR EFFORTS
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, however, yesterday lauded Siew’s efforts, saying that he had been able to reconfirm that the so-called “1992 consensus” would be the basis of future cross-strait communication.
At a press conference held by KMT caucus acting secretary-general Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑), KMT Legislator Sun Ta-chien (孫大千) said Siew’s confirmation of the consensus during his meeting with Hu had proven that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had been wrong when he said that the consensus did not exist.
Siew had also been able to make sure that Taiwan and China would push cross-strait trade and economic cooperation on the basis of co-existence and co-prosperity, Sun said.
“The greatest accomplishment of the forum is that, as Mr Siew said, [both sides] agreed to put aside controversy and pursue win-win cross-strait relations,” Hsieh told the conference.
INTERNATIONAL VIEWS
KMT Legislator Lee Jih-chu (李紀珠) urged the public to give Siew credit because the international community had viewed Siew’s meeting with Hu positively.
She added that the KMT has the ability to carry out agreements reached during the Siew-Hu meeting after the transition of power next month.
In related developments, KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said China’s intent to invest in Ma’s “i-Taiwan 12 infrastructure projects” would not create a problem as long as the transparency of the investment is ensured.
“We should look at the issue from an economic point of view. If we only consider [cross-strait] issues from a political perspective, cross-strait relations will always be clouded,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) of the DPP vowed to safeguard the city’s interests by asking the president-elect to require Chinese tourists arrive and leave the nation from Kaohsiung — a move she said would help the city benefit from the expected boom in Chinese tourism.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS