President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) vowed yesterday to continue improving cross-strait relations and said that “concrete results” are expected on opening direct cargo flights and shipping links with China in a few months.
“As Taiwan steadily improves its relations with China ... I believe that in the next few months there will be concrete results from these efforts,” Ma said while meeting John Hambre, the president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, at the Presidential Office.
Ma said the country would continue cross-strait negotiations with China regarding various issues including Taiwan’s international participation, but added that the government would put Taiwanese interests and dignity as priorities while proceeding with the negotiations.
“Although the opposition party has been criticizing us [for improving relations with China], so far the government never damaged Taiwan’s dignity,” he said. “Instead, we got more friends than we had before.”
Taiwanese officials have said the two sides were scheduled to hold a second round of talks in Taipei later this month or early next month, and that China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin’s (陳雲林) was scheduled to attend, although the date has not been set yet.
The Democratic Progressive Party, a fierce critic of Ma’s China policy, has vowed to stage mass rallies should Chen set foot in Taiwan.
Ma yesterday said cross-strait relations are improving slowly but steadily under his administration, and the government would continue such efforts.
At the same setting, he also reiterated his appreciation for the US government’s approval of nearly US$6.5 billion in arms sales to Taiwan earlier this month.
The administration of US President George W Bush notified the US Congress last week about the sale of six major packages of weaponry to Taiwan, ending the nearly year-long freeze on arms sales to Taiwan.
“The approval not only represents the US’ support for our policy of improving cross-strait ties while still maintaining proper security relations with the US. It also represents the US’ willingness to gradually rebuild mutual trust that has seriously deteriorated over the past eight years,” Ma said, promising to defend the country’s sovereignty and security while rebuilding trust between Taiwan and the US.
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