The re-elected mayor of Kaohsiung City, Frank Hsieh (
"We are preparing for the day that cross-strait direct transportation becomes a reality -- and we are almost ready," Hsieh said.
Hsieh made the remarks at a post-election news conference yesterday morning.
PHOTO: CHANG CHUNG-YI, TAIPEI TIMES
Kaohsiung will possibly be chosen as a port for handling direct cross-strait transportation services. Reporters asked Hsieh if he would visit Hong Kong or China to discuss the matter.
Hsieh replied that he would not go to either if only for his own personal business. But, he said, "As long as Kaohsiung City could benefit from it, I would not rule out the possibility of going anywhere in the world, including Hong Kong and China."
Hsieh stressed that it is not necessary for him to visit China at this stage. "We have to await the final decision from the central government [on direct links], but we are well-prepared," he said.
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had said last Friday -- one day before the elections -- that Kaohsiung International Airport, rather than the Chiang Kai-shek International airport, would be the first choice when the government considers opening direct cross-strait links in the future.
Chen made his remarks while campaigning for Hsieh, saying that the government should put more effort into developing the southern part of Taiwan, rather than the North. The pledge makes Kaohsiung more likely to be chosen as a key cross-strait transportation hub -- if direct links ever become a reality.
Hsieh, former chairman of the DPP, secured 386,384 votes, or 50.04 percent of the vote, to win re-election in a tight contest against opposition KMT candidate Huang Jun-ying (
Meanwhile, in a seminar held yesterday, the director of Hsieh's office, Hsu Jen-tu (許仁圖), welcomed the central government's commitment to make Kaohsiung the key port for cross-strait transportation.
Hsu said that Hsieh proposed plans during his election campaign to establish Kaohsiung as an international port that would be able to handle more passengers and goods. "This shows that Hsieh has a good plan for developing Kaohsiung," he said.
While Kaohsiung's plan to become a cross-strait port seems to be moving forward, Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou's (
According to Vice Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council Chen Ming-tong (
Taipei's Sungshan Airport therefore does not qualify because it only handles domestic flights.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS