Announcing the completion of the council's revision of the main statute on relations with China, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Vice Chairman Jonathan Liu (劉德勳) yesterday said the underlying principle of the statute has been changed from "prohibition as a rule, opening as an exception" (原則禁止, 例外許可) to "opening as a rule, prohibition as an exception" (原則許可, 例外禁止).
During a review of the 10-year-old Statute Governing the Relations between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例), the council added 26 articles, amended 29 and deleted one.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the revised statute today and send it to the legislature to be approved by the end of November, according to the council.
In the field of cross-strait negotiations, newly added articles will allow the government to delegate non-profit or charitable corporations to participate in cross-strait negotiations. Currently, the quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF, 海基會) is the sole organization authorized by the government to conduct cross-strait talks.
The council's chairwoman, Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), said "The role of the SEF has not changed. We have simply added more possibilities to enable the government to resume talks."
She said that criteria for the selection of such non-profit or charitable corporations include credibility, professionalism and experience of related matters.
The government will establish a mechanism to monitor the operations of delegated corporations to avoid conflicts of interest and preserve confidentiality.
The revised draft retains the current statute's limitations on direct transport links despite known objections among opposition lawmakers.
"The original regulations are sufficient to enable the government to establish direct transport links. There is no need for amendment," Liu explained.
The relevant articles stipulate that Chinese aircraft and shipping may not enter Taiwanese airspace and territorial waters without the Taiwan government's permission.
Opposition lawmakers have insisted that references to the Taiwan government's permission should be removed.
"We consulted lawmakers before producing this draft. While some of them hold different opinions, we will leave any disputes to be resolved in the legislative process," said Tsai.
Other proposed major amendments would: repeal the requirement that Chinese spouses must return to China after every six months in Taiwan; allow Chinese spouses to choose whether to become citizens of Taiwan or retain Chinese nationality; allow Chinese businessmen to come to Taiwan to work and trade, or for other commercial purposes -- on condition that national security and domestic labor are not jeopardized.
The proposed amendments would also allow Taiwanese residents to travel to China without first obtaining permission from the government; allow Taiwanese residents to be employed by or become members of any form of Chinese organization except the Chinese Communist Party, the government, the armed forces or any other post deemed to affect national security or national interests; and allow local governments at all levels in Taiwan to establish sister relations with Chinese local governments -- if approved by the Cabinet.
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
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “(we) appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry