American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Chairman Raymond Burghardt met Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday, with their talks focusing on cross-strait trade deals and Taiwan’s relationship with the US.
AIT Director William Stanton accompanied Burghardt, who is on a four-day trip to Taiwan to brief officials on US-China developments following a state visit to Washington by Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) last week.
CLOSED-DOOR MEETING
Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), head of the DPP’s international affairs department, said many topics were addressed during the 80 minute closed-door meeting, adding that the emphasis was on the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) signed between Taiwan and China last June.
The Joint Statement issued after US President Obama met Hu last week lauded the ECFA.
Explaining its inclusion, Burghardt said that Washington viewed the ECFA as a means by which to reduce cross-strait tensions.
Economic agreement
However, Tsai disagreed with that interpretation, saying the agreement should primarily be construed as an economic agreement, Hsiao told reporters after the meeting.
“For Taiwan, what we care about is the impact of the ECFA on unemployment, income disparity and the [economy]. While these are matters the US isn’t focusing on, they are the realities Taiwan must face,” Hsiao said.
REAFFIRMATION
During the meeting, Tsai also told Burghardt she was happy to see Obama reaffirm the Taiwan Relations Act during a joint press conference with Hu, in contrast with the failure to do so prior to the issuance of the Joint Statement in 2009 when Obama was in Beijing, Hsiao said.
That statement said: “The two sides agreed that respecting each other’s core interests is extremely important to ensure steady progress in US-China relations.”
However, US officials have denied that “core interests” referred to Taiwan.
“Compared with the previous Joint Statement, no words that caused harm to Taiwan appeared this time around,” Hsiao said, adding that the DPP was “very pleased.”
Tsai also expressed concerns over the close ties between President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration and Beijing, adding that the DPP hoped Taiwan would instead deepen ties with the US, Japan and other major democratic countries, Hsiao said.
DOMESTIC ISSUES
Turning to more domestic issues, Tsai briefed Stanton and Burghardt on the DPP’s preparations for the upcoming legislative and presidential elections after they inquired about Taiwan’s electoral developments, Hsiao said.
Burgardt, who was on his 10th visit to Taiwan as AIT chairman, is scheduled to leave Taiwan today.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
RSS