Taiwan cannot bypass China in its attempts to connect with the world, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) said yesterday.
“While mainland China must blend into the international community, Taiwan cannot continue to guard against the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] and block cross-strait exchanges,” she said.
“The survival and development of Taiwan will depend on whether we can incorporate with the world. The sooner we do so, the faster and deeper the assimilation will be,” she said.
Lai made the remarks at a gathering held by the Taiwanese Association of America in Chicago, Illinois.
When Taiwan tries to connect with the rest of the world, it must not avoid China deliberately, but must reduce unnecessary obstruction to cross-strait interactions, she said.
“Of course, when we extend goodwill to the world and mainland China, we must take stock of whether the CCP’s hostility has also been reduced,” she said.
Lai said the council would maintain Taiwan-centered consciousness and serve public interests based on the principle that Taiwan is always the focus and people’s interests come first.
The council will also continue to push cross-strait exchanges, dialogue and negotiations, she said, adding that it would also seek to improve cross-strait relations in a prudent and stable manner.
She said she hoped cross-strait ties would eventually return to the “right track of sound development” and achieve the ultimate goal of obtaining sustainable peace in the Taiwan Strait.
Comparing the current administration with the former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, Lai said the new government took the initiative to extend goodwill to Beijing and seized the opportunity to push negotiations and interactions when Beijing reciprocated.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration also relaxed regulations swiftly and broadened the room for future interactions, she said.
“With our goodwill and the CCP’s positive response, we hope cross-strait relations will enter a new stage of sound interactions,” she said.
The goal of the government’s cross-trait policy is to maintain stability in the Taiwan Strait and advance regional peace, she said, with the ultimate goal of protecting the rights, interests, welfare and dignity of the people of Taiwan.
Alain Robert, known as the "French Spider-Man," praised Alex Honnold as exceptionally well-prepared after the US climber completed a free solo ascent of Taipei 101 yesterday. Robert said Honnold's ascent of the 508m-tall skyscraper in just more than one-and-a-half hours without using safety ropes or equipment was a remarkable achievement. "This is my life," he said in an interview conducted in French, adding that he liked the feeling of being "on the edge of danger." The 63-year-old Frenchman climbed Taipei 101 using ropes in December 2004, taking about four hours to reach the top. On a one-to-10 scale of difficulty, Robert said Taipei 101
Taiwanese and US defense groups are collaborating to introduce deployable, semi-autonomous manufacturing systems for drones and components in a boost to the nation’s supply chain resilience. Taiwan’s G-Tech Optroelectronics Corp subsidiary GTOC and the US’ Aerkomm Inc on Friday announced an agreement with fellow US-based Firestorm Lab to adopt the latter’s xCell, a technology featuring 3D printers fitted in 6.1m container units. The systems enable aerial platforms and parts to be produced in high volumes from dispersed nodes capable of rapid redeployment, to minimize the risk of enemy strikes and to meet field requirements, they said. Firestorm chief technology officer Ian Muceus said
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
RSS