Despite the setbacks the "small three links" policy has met, the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (
Premier Chang Chung-hsiung (張俊雄), however, said that the proposal to allow gambling in Kinmen and Matsu had not been finalized.
"We will see how the `small three links' policy goes before any discussion of other proposals [for construction on Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu islands] are made," Chang said yesterday afternoon.
Chang added that the Cabinet would make a conclusion on the proposal in the near future once related government agencies resolved their disagreements about it.
No further discussion on the issue took place at yesterday's weekly Cabinet meeting.
The research commission's chairman, Lin Chia-cheng (
"Taiwan can use Hong Kong and Macau as examples, and turn Kinmen and Matsu into another `mini Hong Kong,'" Lin was quoted as saying yesterday morning.
Lin said that the "small three links" policy for Kinmen and Matsu was a top priority for the commission and would be regularly reviewed.
Lin went on to say that it was time for the Cabinet to start evaluating the feasibility of opening up gambling on Kinmen and Matsu, adding that the government should further explain its "small three links" policy to local residents on the island so that they could better benefit from its potential.
KMT legislator from Kinmen, Chen Ching-pao (
"Many Kinmen residents have strongly opposed such plans," Chen told the Taipei Times.
Chen added that "gambling would definitely have a negative impact on the former-battlefield districts."
Chen urged the DPP government to consult with residents of Kinmen and Matsu before drafting any measures to follow up implementation of the "small three links" policy.
Chen pointed out that as religious groups could soon be able to travel directly from Taiwan to China -- if approved by the Mainland Affairs Council -- Kinmen and Matsu could benefit from being stopover points for pilgrims.
He said that the government should create opportunities for religious adherents to stay overnight, which would boost their expenditures while staying on the islands and thus benefit the local economy.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia