Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday answered critics of his cross-strait initiative, which suggests Taiwan and China recognize each other’s constitutions, saying that the proposal was practical and was most likely to be accepted at home and in China.
The former Democratic Progressive Party chairman, currently on a trip to the US, has called for “constitutions with different interpretations” as the basis of promoting better ties between the DPP and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said the initiative would not be accepted by Beijing because it underlines the different constitutions across the Taiwan Strait and implicates a “state-to-state relationship.”
“The most important thing for Taiwan is not for China to accept its position, but for China to recognize the differences across the Strait, then both sides would be able to facilitate dialogue based on that recognition,” Hsieh said in a press release issued by his office.
Beijing did not accept the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) initiative of “one China, with different interpretations” because the KMT’s definition of the Republic of China includes People’s Republic of China territory, but the KMT and the CCP are able to conduct dialogue, he said.
He also addressed former Examination Yuan president Yao Chia-wen’s (姚嘉文) criticism of Hsieh’s comments that the DPP’s presidential candidates in 2004, 2008 and last year had not made independence the central theme of their campaigns. Yao said the those candidates lost because they did not highlight independence.
Hsieh said Yao’s argument was inconsistent with almost every post-election analysis and opinion poll. He reiterated that supporters of independence and the Republic of China system should be able to accept each other’s position and seek a consensus so that there would be stable cross-strait relations.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if the next president of that country decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today. “We would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said during a legislative hearing. At the same time, Taiwan is paying close attention to the Central American region as a whole, in the wake of a visit there earlier this year by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Lin said. Rubio visited Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala, during which he
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