Bejing yesterday dismissed a proposal by members of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to soften the party’s stance on Taiwanese independence, saying it did not go far enough.
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang (馬曉光) said the only right choice for the DPP that is in line with public opinion is to abandon its pro--independence position advocating the concept of one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait.
Ma was asked about the issue after a proposal by some DPP members to “freeze” the Taiwan independence clause in the party’s charter to boost the DPP’s chances in the next presidential election was briefly discussed at the DPP’s national convention on Sunday.
The proposal’s advocates argued that the independence clause, which calls for declaring a “Republic of Taiwan,” was superseded by the Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文) adopted eight years later in 1999.
The resolution sees Taiwan as already being a sovereign and independent country, with any change in the “status quo” to be decided by Taiwanese, and it also rejects the “one China principle.”
Although the resolution is seen as being more flexible than the independence clause, Ma said that even attempts within the DPP to conduct relations with China based on the resolution “will not work.”
The proposal to drop the independence clause gained little ground at the DPP convention on Sunday, with DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who presided over the proceedings, deciding to refer it to the party’s central executive committee.
Although no substantive action was taken on the proposal, Tsai made her position known on the eve of the convention.
She said in a statement that sticking to the values of Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence has become an “inherent part” of the younger generation and questioned why the party’s Taiwan independence clause should be frozen or abolished.
That statement was criticized yesterday by Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), who rejected what he said was Tsai’s attempt to “draw a parallel between the younger generation’s values related to individualism and the pursuit of Taiwanese independence.”
Hau, who is also vice chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), commended “many friends within the DPP” for advocating the freezing of the Taiwan independence clause, and said he hoped they would take further action.
Hau is considered one of the KMT’s most conciliatory politicians in dealing with the opposition parties.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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