The Democratic Progressive Party headquarters yesterday turned down President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) invitation to Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to meet at a memorial service marking the 100th anniversary of the birth of president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).
DPP spokesman Tseng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said Tsai would not meet Ma for discussion in that context.
“The chairperson will not accept the invitation to attend the event,” Cheng said. “Ma has turned the memorial service into a promotional event for himself. It would be inappropriate for the chairperson to attend.”
Cheng made the comment yesterday afternoon, adding that Tsai would send a written reply to the president.
“We still believe that an open debate would be the best way to let the people know the direction of Taiwan’s future,” he said.
Earlier yesterday, Presidential Office Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) delivered an invitation at Ma’s request to DPP Caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) to give to Tsai.
The DPP, meanwhile, extended an invitation to Ma to attend tomorrow’s State Affairs Forum, co-sponsored by the DPP and the Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Cheng said minority groups would participate at the forum, adding that Ma should take the opportunity to listen to the nation’s marginalized voices.
Talk about a meeting between Ma and Tsai has been in the air, but Ma and Tsai have not agreed on an agenda or the format of any discussion.
In related news, Cheng yesterday said Tsai would visit the US and Canada early next month to raise funds for the party’s candidates in the year-end city and county elections.
During the 10-day trip, Tsai will attend an executive committee meeting of Liberal International scheduled for May 1 to May 3 in Vancouver, Canada, to promote party diplomacy and enhance Taiwan’s international visibility, Cheng said.
Tsai will then head to the US to meet expatriates, though the details of her itinerary have not been finalized, he said.
DPP sources said Tsai would visit several US think tanks, such as the Foreign Policy Research Institute, the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation.
Tsai will also visit officials of the new US administration to explain the DPP’s goals and activities and discuss Taiwan’s political situation, the sources said.
The DPP chairperson also plans to visit Southeast Asian countries to meet overseas party members and expatriates there, the sources said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
RSS