The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) received an official permit this week from the District of Columbia to operate as a non-profit corporation in Washington.
A new office has been opened on 16th Street, a five-minute walk from the White House.
DPP Washington liaison officer Mike Fonte has been appointed the new director, with two associate liaison officers — Iris Shaw and Janice Chen.
Photo: CNA
DPP representative to the US Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) made the announcements at a press conference in the new offices on Wednesday.
Wu, a former Taiwanese representative to the US, said that DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) would visit Washington later this month or early next month for the opening ceremony.
Plans are still being made, but Su will talk with US congressional members, US foreign policy experts and the Taiwanese American community during his visit.
Su is also expected to make at least one major speech.
Wu said that a prime goal of the Washington office would be to foster close relations with the US and to explain the party’s policies and strategies toward China.
Sources close to the administration of US President Barack Obama say that before the last Taiwanese presidential election, the DPP failed to persuade Washington that it had a sound and well-developed strategy for dealing with China.
As a result, the US signaled its support for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and in the opinion of some analysts helped in his victory.
Wu said during the press conference that under Su’s leadership, the party was developing a China policy review committee that would formulate a consensus on China strategy.
The DPP’s biggest task in Washington will be to persuade the ruling administration and Congress that its China policies will not unduly clash with US-China relations.
Wu said that a “complete and comprehensive process” was under way to build a China strategy that would take into account different “views and voices” within the party.
“We must go through a process to get a consensus,” he said.
Liu Shih-chung (劉世忠), director of the DPP’s Department of International Affairs, said the party was not looking for a “magic answer” to cross-strait problems, but was rather seeking to develop policies that were best for Taiwan.
“We do not have a lot of money for a big office, but we want to make sure that the US understands what the DPP is doing,” Wu said.
“We need to communicate better. We are searching for the right path to help the DPP and the US to build a better relationship,” Wu said.
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
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS