President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will support the continuing development of cross-strait ties.
Speaking at the party’s 18th Central Advisory Council meeting, Ma reiterated that the improvement of ties with China has had a significant impact on Taiwan and that maintaining bilateral relations would be an indispensa
Though there is still room for debate over how close Taiwan’s relations with China should be, there is no doubt that ties must be developed, he said.
Ma also reiterated his support for using the so-called “1992 consensus” to “uphold basic constitutional principles while developing cross-strait relations.”
The “1992 consensus” refers to a supposed understanding reached during a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives, under which both sides acknowledged that there was only one China, with each side having its own interpretation of what “one China” means.
The Democratic Progressive Party insists that the “1992 consensus” does not exist and that it was fabricated by then-Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起).
Su admitted in 2006 that he had created the term in 2000, shortly before then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was inaugurated, with the aim of giving the two sides of the Taiwan Strait a “basis for dialogue.”
Ma said the government had adopted a moderate policy to cope with the financial crisis and economic recession to allow Taiwan’s economy to gradually rebound. He said the country’s economic indicators would move into positive territory in the fourth quarter this year.
Ma highlighted the improved economic prospects created by closer economic ties with China, pointing to an announcement on Saturday by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) that his firm would give each employee a special bonus next month equivalent to half-a-month’s pay.
>
Chang also praised Ma for making an important contribution to normalizing cross-strait ties, which he said could create more opportunities for local businesses.
Earlier yesterday, Ma visited Yilan County to inspect areas affected by Tropical Storm Parma. However, he distanced himself from Yilan County Commissioner Lu Kuo-hua (呂國華) by not showing up at Lu’s campaign office.
Lu has been harshly criticized for his poor performance in dealing with the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot in August.
Next Magazine has also alleged that Lu pocketed NT$22 million (US$680,000) from the contractor of the Yilan Green Expo project. Next claimed that prosecutors had launched an investigation in June last year.
Lu has denied the allegation and vowed to resign and withdraw from the election if he was found guilty.
He also downplayed Ma’s absence yesterday. However, Ma did attend an evening rally for Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源), who is also seeking re-election in Dec. 5 elections.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS