Officials yesterday denied allegations that they had tried to influence China Airlines Co (
"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not made any contact with the China Airlines Co," said Katharine Chang (
Chang also denied allegations that Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
Chang admitted, however, that both the US and the EU had expressed "deep concerns" over the purchase, adding that the task of the ministry was merely to pass on information.
"The CAL purchase of aircraft is a commercial action of a private firm. The foreign ministry strictly adheres to neutrality and absolutely avoids any interference or illegally lobbying," Chang said.
Lee yesterday also denied allegations that Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (
The series of denials from officials came following allegations made by PFP lawmakers yesterday morning.
They said Chien, Lin and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng (
Chen said yesterday that the lawmakers' reporting of hearsay was a "shameless" move.
However, the government seems to be coming under increasing pressure to bring its influence to bear on the airline.
Yesterday, Douglas Paal, the US' de facto ambassador to Taiwan, took Boeing executives to meet President Chen Shui-bian (
Chien as well as Lin were also present at the meeting, according to the sources.
The president reportedly said during the meeting that the purchase should not be viewed as merely commercial behavior and asked government agencies to further study the case.
PFP Legislator Liu Wen-hsiung (
"This showed that high-ranking government officials have attempted to disrupt professional judgement with political considerations," Liu said in a press release, while vowing to look into what he termed the "political trade-offs" involved in the case.
Lin yesterday afternoon also requested China Airlines to produce a purchase evaluation report, reiterating that he would respect the airlines' decision.
Lin also serves as the chairman of China Aviation Development Foundation (
Paal has visited various government officials lately together with Boeing executives in an apparent move to lure China Airlines into buying the planes from Boeing.
AIT yesterday declined to comment on any aspect of the purchase.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
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TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe