Beijing raised objections on Saturday to a move by the European Parliament to build closer trade ties with Taiwan, saying it opposes the development of any official ties between the sides.
The European Parliament on Wednesday approved a resolution on EU-Taiwan trade relations, urging its executive body to begin bilateral talks over an agreement on investment protection and market access.
The Chinese government has long insisted that Taiwan is part of its domestic affairs and should be free from any foreign interference.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Hua Chunying (華春瑩) on Saturday said Beijing does not object to non-governmental contact between the EU and Taiwan, but that it opposes the development of any official ties.
“We hope that the EU side could bear in mind the overall interests of China-EU relations, earnestly honor its commitment to the ‘one China’ principle, deal with Taiwan-related issues with prudence and refrain from having any official contact of signing any official agreement with Taiwan,” Hua said.
The EU is Taiwan’s fourth-largest trade partner, while Taiwan is the EU’s seventh-largest trade partner in Asia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that the Taiwanese government “welcomes” the resolution and is “grateful” to the European Parliament.
Taiwan hopes that an investment agreement would pave the way for a comprehensive economic cooperation agreement in the future, the ministry added.
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
EVA Airways president Sun Chia-ming (孫嘉明) and other senior executives yesterday bowed in apology over the death of a flight attendant, saying the company has begun improving its health-reporting, review and work coordination mechanisms. “We promise to handle this matter with the utmost responsibility to ensure safer and healthier working conditions for all EVA Air employees,” Sun said. The flight attendant, a woman surnamed Sun (孫), died on Friday last week of undisclosed causes shortly after returning from a work assignment in Milan, Italy, the airline said. Chinese-language media reported that the woman fell ill working on a Taipei-to-Milan flight on Sept. 22
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