Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) on Saturday called on Taiwanese businesspeople operating in China — commonly known as Taishang — to make “wise” and “important” choices in next month’s presidential election.
Chiang said cross-strait relations were presently at a crucial juncture and that Taiwan, in particular Taishang, cannot afford “retrogression” of the “hard-earned” cross-strait rapprochement that has been achieved since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took office in 2008.
The future of Taishang’s operations in China relies heavily on the foundation’s negotiations with Beijing on the basis of the (so-called) “1992 consensus,” Chiang said.
He was referring to the alleged tacit understanding between Taiwan and China allegedly reached in 1992 that there is only one China, with each side free to interpret what that means.
Based on the “1992 consensus,” the administration has concluded 16 agreements with China over the past three years, including the opening of direct cross-strait air and sea links, the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement and a cross-strait financial pact, which he said has helped to meet Taishangs’ needs for funds and loans.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) has been using “the 1992 consensus” as the foundation for negotiations with China. The consensus was supposedly reached during the first cross-strait talks in 1992, but then-Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) later admitted to coining the term in 2000.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) denies the existence of the consensus, as does former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was in office when the consensus was allegedly reached.
Refusing to recognize the “1992 consensus,” DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has advocated a “Taiwan consensus” as part of her election campaign.
“Because you are smart, I believe you know who you should vote for,” Chiang told Taishang representatives.
Chiang made his pitch for KMT support at an event that marked the installment of a new president of a Taiwanese investors’ association in Kunshan, near Shanghai, where many Taishang manufacturing operations are located.
Lee Kuan-hsin (李寬信), the newly elected head of the Kunshan association, said that as far as he knows, about 80 percent of Taishang companies in the Kunshan area would give their Taiwanese staff paid leave to return home for the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections.
The elections will be held shortly before Lunar New Year, which falls on Jan. 22 next year.
Lee said a number of Taishang have been unable to obtain flights home because of a shortage of seats. There is high demand because a majority of Taishang would like to return to Taiwan for the elections as well as the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland chairman Kuo Shan-hui (郭山輝) said at least 200,000 Taishang working around China would return to Taiwan to vote.
“The shortage of seats is especially keen in Suzhou, Shanghai and Dongguan,” Kuo said.
He urged the government to help convince the airlines to make more seats available on the cross-strait route before Jan. 14.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS