Lawmakers are expected to begin debating draft amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) regarding a clause defining and limiting “agents of the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]” in the new legislative session.
The Legislative Yuan holds two regular sessions per year — the first from February to May and the second from September to December.
The legislative caucuses are to hold negotiations today to decide when the new session is to begin.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip William Tseng (曾銘宗), the first lawmaker to sign in for the new session yesterday, said that the KMT caucus would prioritize policies to ameliorate low wages, encourage youth entrepreneurship and promote measures to rectify and compensate people affected by the government’s pension reforms.
The Council of Grand Justices on Aug. 23 ruled as unconstitutional the regulations banning retired academics from receiving pensions if they find employment at a private university.
KMT Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) said he would prioritize allocating more budget for local infrastructure and construction projects, adding that he would look into amending the changes to pension payments.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Ou-po (陳歐珀) said his party caucus would prioritize amendments to the cross-strait relations act.
“We must face the issue, as it could affect our democracy, freedoms and national security,” he said, adding that the Chinese government is trying to undermine Taiwan’s democracy by using pro-Chinese media and funding during elections.
DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said that lawmakers across party lines should discuss how to completely block China and prevent any kind of Chinese influence in Taiwan.
The amendments are urgently needed, DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said, but added that the distinction between legal and illegal behavior should be unequivocally stated to prevent the law from limiting freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.
The KMT is against the proposed amendment, as it would violate freedom of speech and journalistic freedoms, and would place millions of Taiwanese businesspeople at risk of litigation, Tseng said.
Taiwan should back Hong Kong, as it might very well share the same fate, Chen Ou-po said.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai