A lawmaker yesterday proposed a trial voyage to China before the "small three links" (
With only three weeks remaining before the opening of direct trade, transportation and communication ties between Kinmen and Matsu and Xiamen and Fuzhou respectively, lawmakers held a press conference at the legislature yesterday to express their concern about a lack of response from Chinese authorities over the matter.
"Taiwan has been carried away with its one-sided enthusiasm. We don't know what will happen if our ships arrive there on Jan. 1 if [the Chinese government] continues to remain silent," said Chen Ching-pao (
"I hope the `small three links' will open a new and better chapter in cross-strait relations, instead of creating more tension," he said.
Citing his own experience, Chen said he led a medical group to Xiamen in November to pave the way for the opening of the links.
"Though our team was received by the Xiamen authorities, they were unwilling to provide any concrete measures regarding medical assistance in case of an emergency," he said.
Chen said that Mainland Affairs Council Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (
The experimental trip is tentatively scheduled to take place between Dec. 25 and Dec. 27, and will go between Liaoluo Harbor (料羅) on Kinmen and Heping Harbor (和平) in Xiamen, Chen said.
"If and how the test voyage will take place will hinge upon China's response," he noted.
While preparations have been under way in Taiwan for the opening of the "small three links," China has so far not ordered the authorities in Fujian Province to take reciprocal measures.
The only message conveyed to Taiwan fom China on the matter was from Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji (
Analysts have said that China's reluctance to communicate with Taiwan on the matter was because the mainland leadership does not want to appear to be softening its stance on the "one China" issue.
Beijing has continued to insist on its "one China" principle as a condition for any cross-strait dialogue.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
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