President Chen Shui-bian (
"We are not here to write checks and engage in a check-writing contest," he said. "I did not bring any checkbook here nor have I ever used one before. We are here to establish a long-term, feasible cooperative mechanism and further partnership. That is the essence of the summit."
Chen made the remarks while addressing the first annual Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit in Palau yesterday morning. Leaders of the nation's six diplomatic allies in the region all attended the one-day event.
Chen's comment came in response to criticism on Sunday from a People First Party (PFP) legislator, who said that leaders of Nauru and the Solomon Islands made secret visits to Taiwan to engage in "diplomatic extortion" prior to Chen's visit.
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (
"We don't have enough money to compete with China, nor is dollar diplomacy our policy," Huang told reporters before the summit began yesterday morning.
"I believe our six Pacific allies are well aware of the fact that we do not win their trust by money, but with practical programs," he said.
In the declaration, the nation's six allies expressed their support for Taiwan's achievements in political democratization and economic development.
"Taiwan's allies acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign nation whose right to participate in international organizations, such as the United Nations and World Health Organization, cannot be taken away," the statement said.
"Taiwan's allies are committed to continuing their firm support of Taiwan's entitlement to undertake full involvement in international and regional organizations and initiatives," the statement said.
All leaders promised to cooperate in eight areas, including law-enforcement training, digital government, tourism, health care and the protection of natural resources.
Before Chen's speech, Palauan President Tommy Remengesau Jr. delivered a welcoming speech to the guests, with special appreciation extended to Chen, who took a scuba dive during a visit last January, for helping bring a large number of Taiwanese tourists to Palau.
"President Chen also proved that Palau's waters are surrounded by friendly sharks. And yes, Palau sharks are harmless because they're vegetarians," Remengesau Jr. said, drawing laughter.
Saying that the meeting was long overdue, Remengesau said that it only made sense that Taiwan's allies come together to expand their partnership.
The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee yesterday approved proposed amendments to the Amusement Tax Act (娛樂稅法) that would abolish taxes on films, cultural activities and competitive sporting events, retaining the fee only for dance halls and golf courses. The proposed changes would set the maximum tax rate for dance halls and golf courses at 50 and 20 percent respectively, with local governments authorized to suspend the levies. Article 2 of the act says that “amusement tax shall be levied on tickets sold or fees charged by amusement places, facilities or activities” in six categories: “Cinema; professional singing, story-telling, dancing, circus, magic show, acrobatics
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
INFLATION UP? The IMF said CPI would increase to 1.5 percent this year, while the DGBAS projected it would rise to 1.68 percent, with GDP per capita of US$44,181 The IMF projected Taiwan’s real GDP would grow 5.2 percent this year, up from its 2.1 percent outlook in January, despite fears of global economic disruptions sparked by the US-Iran conflict. Taiwan’s consumer price index (CPI) is projected to increase to 1.5 percent, while unemployment would be 3.4 percent, roughly in line with estimates for Asia as a whole, the international body wrote in its Global Economic Outlook Report published in the US on Monday. The figures are comparatively better than the IMF outlook for the rest of the world, which pegged real GDP growth at 3.1 percent, down from 3.3 percent
ECONOMIC COERCION: Such actions are often inconsistently applied, sometimes resumed, and sometimes just halted, the Presidential Office spokeswoman said The government backs healthy and orderly cross-strait exchanges, but such arrangements should not be made with political conditions attached and never be used as leverage for political maneuvering or partisan agendas, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said yesterday. Kuo made the remarks after China earlier in the day announced 10 new “incentive measures” for Taiwan, following a landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) in Beijing on Friday. The measures, unveiled by China’s Xinhua news agency, include plans to resume individual travel by residents of Shanghai and China’s Fujian
RSS