China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) yesterday said that the office has taken note of the “broad one China framework” (大一中原則) initiated by a group of politicians and academics in Taipei on Tuesday, but that it would not comment on it.
Instead, Ma reiterated Beijing’s stance on relations with Taiwan at a weekly news briefing, saying that both the Chinese “mainland” and Taiwan are part of China, even if the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are not yet unified, and their relationship is not state-to-state.
He urged Taiwanese to push for peaceful development between the two sides on the basis of the so-called “1992 consensus” on one China and their opposition to Taiwanese independence.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) insists that the so-called “1992 consensus” was reached during a meeting in Hong Kong in 1992 between Taiwanese and Chinese representatives, under which both sides claim to have acknowledged that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “one China” means.
The Democratic Progressive Party insists that the “1992 consensus” does not exist.
Ma sidestepped the question when asked if the “broad one China framework” proposal was consistent with the “1992 consensus.”
The “broad one China framework” was proposed by a seven-member group led by former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Shih Ming-te (施明德) on Tuesday.
The group said Taiwan and China should form an international legal entity — consisting of the Republic of China and the People’s Republic of China — to deal with bilateral affairs by consensus.
They called the idea a modus vivendi that would help the two sides get around their political differences and move forward.
Also at yesterday’s news briefing in Beijing, Ma again nixed the idea of having the leaders of Taiwan and China meet on the sidelines of an APEC summit to be held in Beijing in November.
“A meeting of the two sides’ leaders is a bilateral issue and should not take place on an international occasion,” the spokesman said.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reiterated in an interview published by a Taiwanese monthly magazine on Sunday that the APEC summit would be a perfect occasion for a meeting between himself and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
RSS