Taiwan has a great opportunity to improve cross-strait relations, and the opportunity will quickly pass if both sides do not take advantage of it, Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) said yesterday.
The government would like to see a win-win situation created on the economic front and sustainable peace across the Taiwan Strait, he said.
To that end, a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement would prevent Taiwan from being marginalized economically, and the normalization of cross-strait trade would help create such a positive situation, he said.
In pursuing cross-strait peace, he said both sides must sign a peace agreement and establish a military mutual trust mechanism to establish a framework that can be developed upon.
Chiang made the remarks while addressing the Presidential Office’s monthly meeting for top government officials and civil servants.
At a different setting yesterday, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) praised joint oil exploration between Japan and China, saying that joint development and resource sharing is the best way for countries with similar problems to find solutions.
Calling the agreement signed between Tokyo and Beijing to jointly explore oil reserves in the East China Sea an “outstanding achievement,” Ma said that about 40 years ago, European countries were fighting over oil reserves in the North Sea. However, they reached an agreement in the 1970s and decided to jointly develop the resources. Years later, Brent North Sea crude has become one of the most important brands in the global oil market, he said.
“It teaches us the lesson that the best way to solve a problem is through joint development and resource sharing,” he told a Japanese delegation attending this year’s Taiwan-Japan Forum.
Ma said that cross-strait relations have seen significant change since he took office. Previous conflicts and tension had been reconciled and there would be peace and prosperity, he said.
When tensions between both sides are reduced, Japan would no longer need to make a tough choice between Taiwan and China, and could instead maintain sound relations with both sides, Ma said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
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