The New Party has made itself a “broker for unification” and Beijing’s endorser through its establishment of an organization to promote a planned cross-strait experimental zone in China, the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) said yesterday.
The party’s motive behind its promotion of the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone in China’s Fujian Province was “suspicious,” TSU Chairman Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝) told a press conference after the pro-unification New Party announced yesterday the establishment of the Taiwan-Pingtan Relations Association.
President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration appears wary of the proposal, with Premier Sean Chen (陳冲) telling lawmakers on Wednesday last week that China has “ulterior motives” and the zone “is not as simple as it looks.”
The establishment of the association ahead of a promotional visit by the Fujian governor to Taiwan reflected the New Party’s attempt to collaborate with the Chinese to achieve their shared goal of unification, Huang said.
Chinese media say the zone, which is on Pingtan Island, 68 nautical miles (125km) from Hsinchu, would host high-tech companies and factories and “deepen cross-strait ties,” but Taiwanese analysts are concerned that Taiwan’s economy would hollow out further if more domestic businesses move their investments there.
TSU Legislator Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) said incoming Chinese capital and closer cross-strait economic integration following the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) could slowly jeopardize Taiwan’s economy.
She urged the Ma administration to stay alert to China’s attempt of annexing Taiwan through non-military means.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
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