Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that in addition to the four reciprocal principles he espoused for the previous twin-city forums between Taipei and Shanghai, another — “mutual consideration” — must be added for the upcoming forum.
Ko was responding to media queries about the upcoming twin-city forum, which is scheduled to start in Shanghai on Sunday.
Ko’s original “four mutual” principles for cross-strait issues are mutual recognition, mutual understanding, mutual respect and mutual cooperation.
“The forum is about exchanges between the two cities, and will not be concerned with high-level political issues,” he said. “It is mainly about the civic interactions between organizations, companies and young people.”
“Only interaction can foster kindness and only kindness can break the deadlock. Everything is at a deadlock right now and there has got to be a turning point,” Ko said, referring to the cross-strait impasse.
Asked whether he is worried about Taiwan’s sovereignty being dwarfed at the forum in Shanghai, Ko said there are no guarantees for hypothetical questions, but that facing the nation’s difficulties squarely is better than hiding from them.
“Everyone has their own stance and problems, but can we find a way that everyone can accept and keep moving forward?” Ko said.
Responding to a question about if China would be willing to show friendliness during the forum, and if he would be willing to act as an intermediary between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, he said: “I am not significant enough [to assume such a role].”
“The goal of attending the forum is simple — only to see if there is room for negotiation in the current deadlock,” he said, adding that if people cannot discuss things calmly, then no solution would be found.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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