Twenty years after the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA,
FAPA is a worldwide, Washington-based, non-profit organization whose goals include the promotion of international support for the rights of the people of Taiwan and the promotion of peace and security for Taiwan.
Addressing the media in downtown Taipei yesterday morning, association president Wu Ming-chi (
"As overseas Taiwanese, it's our duty to help safeguard Taiwan's security from abroad," Wu said. "The example set by the American Israeli Public Affairs Council is a perfect one to follow."
Missions outlined for the future include elevating Taiwan's international status and joining more global organizations.
"Diplomatic warfare is the most common tactic adopted by China against Taiwan. To survive in the international arena, Taiwan has to elevate its international status and strengthen its relationship with the US," Wu said.
Two of FAPA's long-term goals are for the nation to join the UN and the WHO under the official name of Taiwan.
Asked by the Taipei Times whether he agreed with FAPA's contention that Taiwan should enter the WHO as a full member under the name of Taiwan, Sherrod Brown, a member of Congress who has been a longstanding lobbyist for US support of Taiwan's bid to join the WHO, said that he supports Taiwan's membership as well as its choice of name.
"I recommend that Taiwan gain observer status at the World Health Organization and that President Chen Shui-bian (
The odds of successful UN and WHO entry bids are increasing, Brown said.
"My goal and that of FAPA, if I may speak on their behalf ... is to accelerate entry into all those organizations," he said.
George Liu (
"The problem for Taiwan is one of mistaken identity," Liu said. "Don't ever mistake Taiwan for the Republic of China or for `Chinese Taipei.' Taiwan is Taiwan and it's not part of China."
Also on FAPA's agenda is challenging the US government's "one China" policy, Wu said.
"Through various channels, we will request the Bush administration to review its `one China' policy, and develop a new one because it has a negative impact upon American interests," Wu said.
The association will hold a one-day symposium at the Howard International House today. President Chen will address the opening ceremony, which is planned to start at 9:30am.
Other distinguished guests scheduled to speak in the morning include Brown, Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), and the first chairman of FAPA and incumbent DPP lawmaker Trong Chai (蔡同榮).
The symposium is scheduled to begin at 1:30 pm, when Brown, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), a political science professor at National Cheng Chi University, among other academics, are scheduled to speak.Also See FAPA Inside
MILITARY BOOST: The procurement was planned after Washington recommended that Taiwan increase its stock of air defense missiles, a defense official said yesterday Taiwan is planning to order an additional four PAC-3 MSE systems and up to 500 missiles in response to an increasing number of missile sites on China’s east coast, a defense official said yesterday. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the proposed order would be placed using the defense procurement special budget, adding that about NT$1 trillion (US$32,88 billion) has been allocated for the budget. The proposed acquisition would include launchers, missiles, and a lower tier air and missile defense radar system, they said The procurement was planned after the US military recommended that Taiwan increase
POLITICAL AGENDA: Beijing’s cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival events are part of a ‘cultural united front’ aimed at promoting unification with Taiwan, academics said Local authorities in China have been inviting Taiwanese to participate in cross-strait Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations centered around ideals of “family and nation,” a move Taiwanese academics said politicizes the holiday to promote the idea of “one family” across the Taiwan Strait. Sources said that China’s Fujian Provincial Government is organizing about 20 cross-strait-themed events in cities including Quanzhou, Nanping, Sanming and Zhangzhou. In Zhangzhou, a festival scheduled for Wednesday is to showcase Minnan-language songs and budaixi (布袋戲) glove puppetry to highlight cultural similarities between Taiwan and the region. Elsewhere, Jiangsu Province is hosting more than 10 similar celebrations in Taizhou, Changzhou, Suzhou,
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the