Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), when asked to comment on rumors that China is planning to reduce its daily number of tourists to Taiwan, said that he hopes China will not “use business to push politics.”
Ko, who is on his first trip to the US since taking office in 2014, met with Taiwanese expatriates in San Francisco on Saturday and visited an Agape dental mobile clinic.
In response to media requests for comment on a rumor that China plans to cut its tourist numbers to Taiwan, Ko said his government has drafted plans to diversify its tourist base and will seek to attract more visitors from Japan and the 10 ASEAN member states.
Taipei will try to avoid “putting all its eggs in one basket,” Ko said.
Rumors have surfaced over the past few months that China would reduce its tourist numbers to Taiwan to pressure president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) into accepting the so-called “1992 consensus” — which refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Tsai and the Democratic Progressive Party do not recognize the “1992 consensus.”
Mainland Affairs Council Chief Secretary Yang Chia-chun (楊家駿) said on Thursday last week that Sunday would be “a day to watch” in terms of whether China reduces its tourist quota for Taiwan.
Ko flew to San Francisco, a sister city of Taipei, on Tuesday last week to begin a nine-day visit in the US. He is also scheduled to visit Los Angeles and Phoenix, Arizona — two other sister cities.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
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The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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