Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Speaking at a press conference at KMT central headquarters, KMT spokesman Chang Jung-kung (張榮恭) said Lien would call Chen on Monday afternoon, and that the time of the call was settled on by KMT Secretary-General Lin Feng-cheng (林豐正) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun yesterday morning.
"President Chen wishes to talk to Chairman Lien because of Lien's upcoming trip to China. I believe that the main point of their conversation will be cross-strait relations," Chang said.
Yu said he told Lin that Chen would support Lien's trip if it was premised on protecting the national interest and the well-being of the people.
Yu also said that if China held genuine goodwill toward Taiwan, it would start a dialogue with Taiwan's government.
Pressure
The arrangement follows continued pressure from the Chen administration on the KMT to contact it before Lien makes his high-profile trip to China, during which he will meet Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Speaking yesterday on whether or not he plans to speak personally with Chen about his own upcoming trip to China, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said he would not rule out the possibility.
"There is currently no plan [to meet with Chen]. However, if there is a need to do so, then [I] do not eliminate the possibility of communicating with him in private or in public," Soong said.
The PFP has said that Soong's trip would take place in the first 10 days of May. CNA reported yesterday that the PFP Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) will head a preparatory delegation to China tomorrow. In a telephone interview with the Taipei Times, PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (謝公秉) confirmed the plan.
Soong yesterday said he was neither a "special envoy" nor an ambassador for Chen as some media reports have suggested.
"I am traveling in a personal capacity and as PFP chairman to allow China to better understand Taiwan and understand the factors involved in cross-strait relations. I am not Mr. Chen Shui-bian's `agent' or `special ambassador,'" he said.
Unapologetic
In response to former president Lee Teng-hui's (
"Lee raised [several] points of `wrongness.' I feel that there is only one thing wrong with the points Lee raised -- he was completely wrong," Soong said at a PFP press conference.
"The opposition parties of the Republic of China are seeking to help the Taiwanese people have a hopeful and peaceful future, which is what everyone should be doing," he said.
Additional reporting by Huang Tai-lin
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
GIVE BACK: The president thanked immigrants, recounting heartwarming stories, from a gymnast helping athletes shine internationally to a spouse helping the disadvantaged There is no need to amend the law to exempt Chinese spouses from single allegiance to the Republic of China (ROC), President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that such changes would only increase the public’s doubts toward new residents from China and would not improve social harmony. Taiwan is a democratic, diverse and free country, he said. “No matter which ethnic group you belong to, where you come from or when you arrive, as long as you identify with Taiwan, you are masters of this country,” he said. Taiwan is a democratic nation that follows the rule of law, where immigrants are
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
RSS