Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) yesterday said he was going to China to promote engagement across the Taiwan Strait.
“The purpose of my trip is very simple — to boost bilateral exchanges by reviewing past developments and projecting future growth trends,” Lien said prior to his departure for Beijing.
Lien, who is traveling at the head of a delegation of more than 30 political figures and business executives, said he had not visited Beijing in nearly two years.
Photo: CNA
“I want to take advantage of this trip to get an overview of the latest developments there and meet old friends and good pals of mine, as well as make new friends,” he said.
“Today happens to be the Lantern Festival on the Chinese Lunar calendar. This is a really good time to make a nostalgic, yet forward-looking journey,” he added.
Lien said that while cross-strait relations have made substantial progress in various aspects since the crucial years of 2005 and 2008, there was still ample room for improvement.
In 2005, Lien met Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) for the first time in Beijing in his capacity as then-opposition KMT chairman. The meeting was widely credited as an ice-breaking event that helped thaw the long-stalled cross-strait relations.
Bilateral engagements made another breakthrough in 2008, when the the KMT returned to power and institutionalized cross-strait talks were resumed.
During his current visit to Beijing, Lien said he would exchange views with the Chinese side on how to expand and deepen bilateral engagements based on past achievements and current foundations.
Lien further said he was not visiting China for any partisan or personal interests.
“The trip is mainly for maintaining lasting peace, stability and prosperity across the Taiwan Strait,” Lien added.
Chinese authorities reportedly took the initiative to invite Lien to visit Beijing.
He is scheduled to meet with China’s president-in-waiting, Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping (習近平), today, making him the first influential Taiwanese figure to meet with Xi since he took over the helm of the Communist Communist Party (CCP) in November last year.
Xi, who has seldom addressed Taiwan-related topics in public since he assumed the post as CCP general secretary, is widely expected to outline his vision for cross-strait relations during his meeting with Lien.
Lien will hold a press conference in Beijing at 11am today after his meeting with Xi earlier in the day, according to reports from Beijing.
The members of Lien’s delegation include KMT vice chairmen Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) and John Chiang (蔣孝嚴), New Party Chairman Yok Mu-ming (郁慕明), Lien’s son, Sean Lien (連勝文), and several business tycoons, such as Hon Hai Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) and Ruentex Group chairman Samuel Yin (尹衍樑).
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS