Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), who recently described himself as having an affinity toward China, on Thursday in Los Angeles said that his pro-Taiwan independence stance remains unchanged.
Earlier this month, the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party mayor surprised the public when he said he feels “affinity toward China as much as he loves Taiwan.”
The matter aroused great interest among the Taiwanese expatriate community in the US during Lai’s visit.
Asked about the matter by a member of the audience after giving a speech in Los Angeles, Lai said “feel affinity toward China, love Taiwan” means reaching the hand of friendship out to China, with Taiwan at the center, in the hope of enhancing mutual understanding and reconciliation, and facilitating the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.
Lai said it is a gesture of friendship and also an attitude.
It is similar to Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) opinion that Taiwan should be “friendly to China,” Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu’s (陳菊) view that Taiwan should “know China,” and Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsang’s (鄭文燦) belief that Taiwan should “reconcile with China,” Lai said.
He said “feeling affinity toward China” can also be equated with “getting close to Chinese.”
Stressing that there is no change to his pro-independence stance, Lai said an advocate of Taiwanese independence can also reach out the hand of friendship to China without any contradiction.
However, he expressed disagreement with the idea of Taiwan signing a peace agreement with China, saying that such an agreement would not help bring peace, as is evident in the example of Israel.
Lai recalled that during a visit he made last year to Jerusalem to attend the International Conference of Mayors, he was told by the event’s organizer that peace is not achieved by an agreement signed behind closed doors by a minority of people — it would only arrive after a long period of exchanges that lead to cooperation and mutual trust.
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS