The nomenclature that will be used by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits when they set up their offices in each other’s territory will not symbolize that Taiwan and China are in a state-to-state relationship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) at the legislature.
Earlier last month, Wang said that Taipei and Beijing have exchanged views on the possibility of the association and the foundation setting up offices in their respective territories under the framework of the so-called “1992 consensus,” or what President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has interpreted as “one China, with each side having its own interpretation.”
Asked by Hsiao to explain whether the offices would be defined as overseas missions or as domestic institutions, and what the offices would be characterized as to define the relationship between the two sides, Wang said the office would use the SEF plaque, but that there would also be council officials and officials from other government agencies attending to cross-strait affairs stationed at the office.
The foundation’s office would deal with cross-strait affairs, ranging from economic exchanges and trade issues to people-to-people contacts and emergency disaster relief, Wang said.
He added that while the government hopes the foundation’s office will serve as a consulate to issue travel documents to Chinese citizens, Beijing has not agreed to the proposal.
China is concerned that having the foundation’s office issue travel documents could create a “misunderstanding” that Taiwan and China are in a state-to-state relationship, he said.
“We are still in talks with the mainland side [China],” Wang said.
Wang said the details governing the arrangement would be presented to the legislature for review next month at the earliest.
Meanwhile, in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said that the time for Taiwan to negotiate a peace accord with China was not ripe, because China always places such a treaty under the “one China” framework and it has sent different messages as to whether it allows for Taiwan’s interpretation of “one China” as the “Republic of China.”
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS