Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) said yesterday the government would not remove signs representing the country because of the arrival of Chinese tourists, adding, however, that it could not force the private sector to act against its will.
Liu made the remarks during a gathering with foreign news agencies and reporters yesterday afternoon.
“We will not pull down national flags and ‘Republic of China’ signs at tourism sites for Chinese tourists,” Liu said in response to a question on whether the government would make such a move ahead of the expansion of Chinese tourists, which begins tomorrow with a special delegation that includes Chinese officials.
In answer to another question, Liu said the government had no right to interfere with the private sector on the matter and could only remind people of the “inappropriateness” of removing national symbols.
“Of course we won’t make any changes at tourist sites because of Chinese tourists. But as for the private sector, the removal of national symbols is permissible. The government cannot order them not to do so, but it can try to discourage them,” Liu said.
Asked about the government’s position on Beijing’s insistence that Chinese tourists be prevented from seeing slogans expressing support for Falun Gong and Tibet, Liu said: “the government will continue to defend public activities.”
“Taiwan is a society of diversity, democracy and freedom. People can do whatever they want to do, as long as it is within the law. What the government can do is maintain public order and prevent confrontation and violence,” Liu said.
Liu said that as a result of “media hype,” the public may have overoptimistic expectations of the economic benefits that will accrue from the cross-strait passenger flights and the arrival of a larger number of Chinese tourists. He said, however, that those developments would have a positive impact on the tourism industry, which in turn could help attract tourists from other countries.
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
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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
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