President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said on Friday that in drafting his policies for the nation, he had never considered the impact the reform programs he was introducing would have on his chances of re-election.
Just as US President Barack Obama said he would promote healthcare reform even if such a move hurt his chances at being re-elected, Ma said he never thought about how his “modus vivendi” approach toward China, flexible diplomatic strategy and Executive Yuan restructuring program could affect his electoral future.
“I have done what I should do ... Having the opportunity to be in power, I must establish a solid foundation for the long-term development of our country,” Ma said at a gathering with Taiwanese reporters after attending a dinner given in his honor by his Palau counterpart.
PHOTO: CNA
During a stop in Guam on his way from the Solomon Islands to Palau, Ma said he talked with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burgardht on progress in Taiwan’s negotiations with China on the signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA). The controversial subject of US beef imports was not discussed, he said.
On the opposition’s call for an ECFA referendum, Ma said the Democratic Progressive Party and the Taiwan Solidarity Union should come up with proposals to resolve practical issues rather than just oppose for opposition’s sake.
Cross-strait relations are critical to Taiwan’s future development, Ma said, adding that the opposition should not seek to characterize his administration’s efforts to improve cross-strait ties as a “pro-China” or “China-leaning” move.
Meanwhile in Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) dismissed reports that Ma’s gift of a smartphone to a Solomon Islands chieftain was “useless.”
MOFA spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said the HTC smartphone Ma presented to chieftain Stanley Tabeva from remote Isabel Province should be seen as a source of pride for Taiwan.
“The president gave the handset as a gift because he was aware that high-tech products like the HTC smartphone are very popular with leaders of our South Pacific allies,” Chen said. “Stanley visits the Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara, very often and a mobile phone is very useful for him.”
The handset not only allows the chief to surf the Internet, it also provides access to other multimedia entertainment, such as taking photos and listening to music, Chen said.
He also disclosed that Ma had directed Taiwan’s embassy and technical mission in the country to donate fertilizer and urea to the Solomon Islands to aid agricultural development.
Ma met Tabeva on Thursday while checking out the operations of Taiwan’s agricultural technical mission in the Solomon Islands.
Tabeva presented Ma with a donation for victims of Typhoon Morakot collected from people living in more remote parts of the country.
Ma arrived in the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, the fifth stop on his diplomatic tour of Taiwan’s six allies in the South Pacific. He returned to Taipei last night.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
RSS