The government is to abolish the Cabinet-level Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, many of the functions of which will be taken over by a new Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation (台灣西藏交流基金會) which is to be formally established today.
The government's move makes a break with the past claims of the ROC to sovereignty over Tibet and Mongolia, a claim it backed up by retaining a Cabinet Agency to handle their affairs.
"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tashi Wangdi, will attend the founding ceremony [on Monday] afternoon of the Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation," said the source, "and we believe that it will serve as an non-official communication channel, but supported by the government, between Taiwan and the Tibetan government-in-exile."
A source from the DPP's legislative caucus also told Taipei Times that a visit to the home of the Tibetan government in exile in Dharmsala, India, was being arranged for a cross-party delegation of lawmakers.
The delegation may be accompanied by Weng Shih-chieh (
The foundation will consist of government think-tank members, DPP members and private entrepreneurs familiar with Tibetan affairs.
Day Sheng-tong (
The source said that preparations for the foundation have been under way for more than a year, and funding for the foundation will come from both government and private sources.
The source stressed that since Taiwan has new channels of communications with both Mongolia and Tibet, the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission will gradually be wound down.
The commission is a legacy from the KMT government, which claimed sovereignty over China, Tibet and Mongolia.
"Taiwan and Mongolia have already set up mutual representative offices. After the foundations' inception, the commission will see its functions dwindle even further," the source said.
The commission's view of Tibet as part of China has generated a great deal of unhappiness in its dealings with the Tibetan government-in-exile, according to the source. It also created obstacles in the run-up to the Dalai Lama's two visits to Taiwan, in 1997 and 2001.
"After its inception, the foundation will take over bilateral exchanges such as religious, cultural and tourism matters," the source said. "It will also mediate disputes and handle visits by people from each side."
Since it used to regard Tibet as part of China, Taiwan used to handle visits by officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile in the same way as visits by PRC officials. This has caused tension between the two governments.
The problem was resolved after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took over issuing visas to visiting Tibetan officials.
Taiwan, however, still lacks an official entity dedicated to handling what have become extensive bilateral religious exchanges, and the new foundation is designed to fill that role. Tibetan Buddhism has attracted a significant following, in Taiwan over the past decade.
The foundation officials are optimistic about raising funds from private entrepreneurs, given the popularity of Tibetan Buddhism. The foundation's work will focus primarily on religious and cultural exchanges and humanitarian aid. It will not be involved in politics and will not become embroiled in the unification-independence issue, according to the source. The foundation's operations will include medical aid, agricultural techniques for Tibetan exiles in India, language training, academic exchanges, volunteer work and publishing.
Also see story:
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS