The agreements that have been signed between Taiwan and China can be seen as “peace pacts” in a broad sense, because they would not have been possible without a peaceful environment across the Taiwan Strait, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.
Since taking office in May 2008, he has been dedicated to improving ties with China and institutionalizing the signing of cross-strait agreements, Ma said.
He made the remarks while receiving a delegation from Hong Kong charity Tung Wah Group of Hospitals at the Presidential Office.
Without a peaceful environment across the Strait, it would have been impossible to sign the agreements, Ma said.
“Although the agreements cover areas such as trade, public health and tourism, they are all basically agreements on peace by a broad definition,” he said.
Meanwhile, as ties between Taiwan and China have improved, relations between Taiwan and Hong Kong have also advanced, Ma said.
Noteworthy progress in the development of Taiwan-Hong Kong ties include the 2010 establishment of the Taipei-headquartered Taiwan-Hong Kong Economic and Cultural Cooperation Council and the Hong Kong-Taiwan Economic and Cultural Cooperation and Promotion Council, which serve as a mechanism for bilateral communication and have held five meetings so far, he added.
In July 2011, Taiwan’s representative office in Hong Kong, formerly known as the Chung Hwa Travel Service, was renamed the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Hong Kong, in line with its actual status and duties.
Later that year, Hong Kong also established a representative office in Taiwan — the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office.
Taiwan and Hong Kong have long conducted close exchanges over the years, but there have been many restrictions on official contacts between the two sides, Ma said.
However, now the restrictions have gradually been eased, he added.
To further improve bilateral cooperation, Taiwan and Hong Kong have been working to sign agreements on the avoidance of double taxation in maritime transport, on technology cooperation, combating crime, and making cultural and creative exchanges, the president said.
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
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
The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) has been investigating nine shell companies working with Prince Holding Group, and the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office is seeking further prosecution of alleged criminals, a source said yesterday. The nine companies and three Taiwanese nationals were named by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Oct. 14 as Specially Designated Nationals as a result of a US federal court indictment. Prince Holding founder Chen Zhi (陳志) has been charged with fraud, conspiracy, money laundering and overseeing Prince Holding’s suspected forced-labor camps in Cambodia, the indictment says. Intelligence shared between Taiwan,
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,
RSS