In an apparent reversal of its previous position, President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration said on two occasions that Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama is welcome to visit the nation.
The Mainland Affairs Council said at a regular press conference on Thursday that when conditions are right, the Dalai Lama is welcome to apply to visit Taiwan through established channels.
The Dalai Lama has visited Taiwan on three occasions, including in 1997 during the term of former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and again in 2001 under former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), when he was treated as a visiting head of state. During his 2001 visit, the Dalai Lama met Ma, then mayor of Taipei, who said at the time that Taipei would always welcome the Dalai Lama.
However, after Ma became president in 2008, his stance on visits by the Dalai Lama cooled considerably.
Ma reluctantly agreed to a visit in 2009, during which the spiritual leader performed religious rituals for victims of Typhoon Morakot, but insisted that the visit was purely for religious purposes and refused to meet with with the Dalai Lama in person.
However, since Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) reiterated China’s advocacy of the “one country, two systems” policy in September, the tone of cross-straits relations has shifted.
In his Double Ten National Day address, Ma urged China to move toward liberal democracy and support true universal suffrage for Hong Kong, sparking criticism from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.
The Mainland Affairs Council’s announcement on Thursday solidifies the administration’s endorsement of comments earlier this week by Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission Minister Jaclyn Tsai (蔡玉玲).
At a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Internal Administration Committee, she said the Dalai Lama would be welcome to visit the nation when the conditions were right, adding that the Dalai Lama is an important spiritual leader with a broad following in Taiwan.
She said that the Dalai Lama has already held many meetings with “mainland” representatives to resolve the Tibetan problem.
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
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
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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