Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials dismissed media speculation yesterday that KMT Chairman Wu Po-hsiung (吳伯雄) plans to meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
When approached for comment, KMT Communication and Culture Committee chief Huang Yu-cheng (黃玉振) said the party did not know of any plan to hold such a meeting.
He did not elaborate.
Huang's remark came after a story in the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday citing an anonymous source as saying that China had taken the initiative to invite Wu to meet Hu in Beijing by May 20.
The source said that KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), the designated chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), would meet Jia Qinglin (賈慶林), the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) fourth ranking official, during a trip to China this week to negotiate details of the Wu-Hu meeting.
The story also said that Wu planned to encourage Taiwanese athletes to attend the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.
However, Chang Rong-kung (張榮恭), director of the KMT's Mainland Affairs Department, said yesterday that Chiang did not plan to visit Beijing during his trip to China from Thursday to Sunday, adding that his destinations only included Shanghai, Kunshan, Xiamen and Shenzhen.
The KMT announced yesterday that Chiang Pin-kun would visit the cities to thank KMT supporters for their role in the party's presidential election success.
In related news, premier-designate Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) is scheduled to announce the new government's Cabinet lineup this morning.
However, president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) remained low-profile yesterday regarding the future education minister.
During a visit to Yong Kang Elementary School in Tainan County, Ma stressed the importance of education, saying that the nation had only been able to take the lead in the international high-tech industry because of the its education system.
When asked for comment, Wu Ching-chi (吳清基), director of Taipei's Education Department, who has been tipped in the media to take over at the Ministry of Education, was also tight-lipped on the issue.
Meanwhile, Steve Chan (詹啟賢), Ma's top aide, admitted that he and Ma's long-term aide King Pu-tsung (金溥聰) disagreed on certain issues during the presidential campaign but shrugged off media speculation that he declined to join Ma's administration because he had fallen out with King.
"I did not leave because I felt wronged and acted rashly, for this would be wrong," Chan said when approached by reporters in front of his residence in Taipei.
Being in the presidential campaign and becoming a member of the Cabinet were different, he said, adding that "those who had been designated as Cabinet officials were not necessarily part of the campaign."
Chan said he would continue to offer Ma assistance until Ma assumes office on May 20.
"[Even if I am] not going to be a member of the administration, we remain good friends. [I] can still give him a lot of advice," he said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost