Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday that if Beijing can overcome its reluctance to address him by his official title, he will not rule out a cross-strait visit.
Wang made the remarks during an interview with a local radio station in which he was asked if he could open a proposed Taiwan representative office in China and exchange visits with Zhang Zhijun (張志軍), head of the Taiwan Affairs Office under China’s State Council.
If there is an appropriate way to promote such visits, Wang said, “we would welcome it,” but he added that it is very important that each official be addressed by their formal titles.
“We have no problem addressing them by their official titles, although they still have reservations about extending the same courtesy to our ministerial-level officials,” Wang said.
He said China should recognize that he is an appointed official of the Republic of China government and should be addressed accordingly.
“This is not a personal issue. If there is a formal meeting I am representing Taiwan,” Wang said.
On whether President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) could take part in next year’s informal leadership meeting of the APEC forum in China, Wang said that although some academics in China have been discussing the issue, it is too early to talk about it.
Meanwhile, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) will travel to Shanghai on Tuesday for a forum to discuss cross-strait business, education, sports and media exchanges.
Hau will meet with Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong (楊雄) on Thursday and sign memorandums on district cooperation, libraries and citizen hotlines at the forum’s opening ceremony. Former Taipei EasyCard Corporation chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) and Terry Guo (郭台銘), founder and chairman of Hon Hai Group, will also join the delegation.
Lien’s participation in the forum sparked speculation about his bid for the Taipei mayoral election next year, as he has been a popular choice for the post. Hau yesterday denied trying to boost Lien’s momentum by inviting him to the forum, and said Lien would attend in his capacity as deputy convener of Taipei City’s Economic Development Commission.
“He will attend a forum on business opportunities for industries across the Taiwan Strait, and share his experience as a finance expert,” he said in announcing the visit.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
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