Political issues may be unavoidable for Taiwan and China as the two sides conduct economic exchanges, former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) said yesterday, stressing that Taiwan should address political issues according to the public’s needs.
“‘Economic issues first and political ones later’ has been the principle guiding the handling of cross-strait relations. However, difficult political issues may come up during economic exchanges and we need to address them if the public deems it necessary,” he said at the opening ceremony of the ninth Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Culture Forum held in Nanning, in China’s Guangxi Province.
The annual forum is held so the KMT and the Chinese Communist Party can meet to discuss cross-strait developments. Wu is attending the two-day forum as the envoy of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), who also serves as KMT chairman.
Wu reiterated the president’s description of cross-strait ties as not being state-to-state relations and said that the so-called “1992 consensus” remains the foundation of the cross-strait relationship.
The “1992 consensus” refers to a disputed cross-strait agreement reached by the KMT and China on the meaning of the “one China” policy, under which both sides of the Taiwan Strait agree on the existence of “one China,” but each has its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“We should cement political trust between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and continue to define cross-strait relations under the ‘one China’ framework... Cross-strait relations are special relations,” he said.
Regarding Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) recent calls for Taiwan to bridge the cross-strait political division so it would not be “passed on from generation to generation,” Wu said bilateral ties are the warmest they have been for the past 50 years, adding that this generation’s efforts to promote peace across the Strait and seek win-win situations should be recognized.
Yu Zhengsheng (俞正聲), chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee, reiterated China’s opposition to Taiwanese independence and said he expected the two sides would soon hold follow-up negotiations for the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), as well as implement cross-strait agreements.
The two-day forum is to end today. The cross-strait service trade agreement and the proposed establishment of representative offices on either side of the Strait were expected to be on the agenda at the event.
Separately yesterday, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said that Beijing should grant Taiwanese personnel the right to visit Taiwanese prisoners in China as part of the negotiations on the establishment of reciprocal representative offices.
“We believe that if China really values how Taiwanese feel and wishes to improve mutual political trust between the two sides, it will grant Taiwanese representative office personnel the right to visit [inmates] for humanitarian reasons,” Wang said in a speech to university students at the opening of a three-day seminar in Taipei on China policies.
Visitation rights are an important issue for the public and for all political parties in Taiwan, where freedom and human rights are highly regarded, Wang said, adding that China’s unwillingness to grant these rights has been the main obstacle impeding negotiations between Taipei and Beijing on the offices.
China has refused to move on the issue, on the grounds that such visits are not permissible under its laws, Wang said.
Matters such as the issuance of travel documents and visitation rights may be politically sensitive, but both sides should handle them wisely and practically during talks since they are issues that pertain to the rights and welfare of Taiwanese citizens in China, he said.
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
RSS