Foreign Minister Eugene Chien (
At the summit last Friday at his Texas ranch, Bush stressed that Washington did not support Taiwan independence.
"It's not that I am not satisfied with what Bush said," Chien said. "It just that I think it would have been much better if Bush had also included statements such as `China ought not to use force against Taiwan' and the like."
Chien made the remark in response to a question from KMT Legislator John Chang (
During the session, Chang asked Chien to comment on the summit talks and whether the ministry had received a statement from US Department of State concerning the matter.
"The content of the summit talks we know of so far went as we expected," said Chien, adding that Bush's statement was simply a reiteration of Washington's long-standing position on the Taiwan question.
"Because it was over the weekend, the ministry has yet to receive a formal statement from the US Department of State," he said. "But it should come in the next few days."
In addition to the summit talks, legislators also raised an incident in which first lady Wu Shu-chen (
Wu was searched at a Washington airport before she left for Los Angeles on Sept. 26.
Chen Chien-jen (
"Chen and his mission did well in hosting first lady Wu, whose visit to the US was a success despite a few minor flaws," Chien said. The ministry will review the flaws and discipline those involved, if necessary, he said.
Several legislators, including DPP legislators Hsiao Bi-khim (
"Chen has not talked about resigning, but if he does, I will certainly ask him to reconsider," said Chien, adding that he would forward the legislators' remarks to the Presidential Office.
An alleged US government plan to encourage Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to form a joint venture with Intel to boost US chipmaking would place the Taiwanese foundry giant in a more disadvantageous position than proposed tariffs on imported chips, a semiconductor expert said yesterday. If TSMC forms a joint venture with its US rival, it faces the risk of technology outflow, said Liu Pei-chen (劉佩真), a researcher at the Taiwan Industry Economics Database of the Taiwan Institute of Economic Research. A report by international financial services firm Baird said that Asia semiconductor supply chain talks suggest that the US government would
Starlux Airlines on Tuesday announced it is to launch new direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Ontario, California, on June 2. The carrier said it plans to deploy the new-generation Airbus A350 on the Taipei-Ontario route. The Airbus A350 features a total of 306 seats, including four in first class, 26 in business class, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. According to Starlux’s initial schedule, four flights would run between Taoyuan and Ontario per week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Flights are to depart from Taoyuan at 8:05pm and arrive in California at 5:05pm (local time), while return flights
Nearly 800 Indian tourists are to arrive this week on an incentive tour organized by Indian company Asian Painted Ltd, making it the largest tour group from the South Asian nation to visit since the COVID-19 pandemic. The travelers are scheduled to arrive in six batches from Sunday to Feb. 25 for five-day tours, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The tour would take the travelers, most of whom are visiting Taiwan for the first time, to several tourist sites in Taipei and Yilan County, including tea houses in Taipei’s Maokong (貓空), Dadaocheng (大稻埕) and Ximending (西門町) areas. They would also visit
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,