One of two planned trial voyages to test the "small three links" has been cancelled, a KMT lawmaker said yesterday.
Chen Ken-teh (
The lawmaker said that Shi Hwei-yow (許惠祐), secretary-general of the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF), called him on Tuesday to say that MAC Chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) had ordered preparations for the trip halted.
"I don't know what Tsai's motive is. Does this indicate there was a U-turn in our policy? We've discussed this plan for weeks," Chen said.
Chen said Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
Taiwan announced on Dec. 13 plans to open direct postal, transportation and trade links between the outlying island groups of Kinmen (金門) and Matsu (馬祖) and China's Xiamen (廈門) and Fuzhou (福州) cities beginning on Jan. 1. Because, Beijing has offered little response to the proposal so far, however, two groups of lawmakers proposed trial voyages to ease public concern about unpredictable responses from China resulting from Taiwan's decision.
Both groups are set to depart on Dec. 28. A group led by KMT lawmaker Chen Ching-pao (陳清寶), who has directly contacted Xiamen authorities, appears to be encountering less obstacles. By comparison, the trip organized by Chen Ken-teh, a member of the legislature's Committee of Transportation and Communications, stalled because Chen sought assistance from the SEF, Taiwan's semi-official mechanism to deal with cross-strait relations.
Shi Hwei-yow told the Taipei Times that Tsai had indeed made the phone call to tell him to put Chen's documents aside temporarily, and that he could not send the relevant papers to China without an approval from MAC.
But MAC said in a press conference yesterday evening that there was a misunderstanding, adding that the documents requested were ready. MAC officials also said they would notify the SEF right away to contact the Chinese government if Chen still plans to make the trip.
"How can I have enough time to prepare for the necessary papers now that Tsai has delayed my plan? I just don't understand why she made that phone call to Shi Hwei-yow, telling him to discontinue the proceeding," he said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS