■ Politics
Parties reach consensus
A consensus among political parties has been forged concerning sections of two bills which will be voted on in the Legislative Yuan on Thursday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said yesterday. Parties have agreed on most parts of the revised Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例) and a revision to the 1995 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election and Recall Law (總統副總統選舉罷免法). The Taiwan Solidarity Union, which disagreed with the other parties on several articles of each bill, insisted on voting on them individually rather than as a package.
■ Economics
Premier Yu bullish
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that economic growth could reach 4.67 percent for the final quarter of this year. Yu made the forecast at a Legislative Yuan plenary session to dismiss a claim by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kuo Tien-tsai (郭添財) that the administration is not competent enough to rev up the nation's sluggish economy. Dismissing Kuo's criticism as unfair, Yu cited figures, including growth in exports and foreign exchange reserves, to show that the economy has rebounded from its recent sluggishness and is now steadily improving.
■ National Day
Celebrations toned down
Taiwan has limited its National Day activities in Hong Kong and Macau to indoor celebrations in line with an agreement with the special administrative regions of China, Mainland Affairs Council vice chairman Huang Chieh-cheng (黃介正) said yesterday. About 1,000 people attended an indoor rally held by Taiwan's representative office in Hong Kong on Sunday, with participants singing the national anthem and bowing to the portrait of the founder of the Republic of China (ROC), Sun Yat-sen (孫中山). Some 600 people will attend a similar event in Macau today, Huang said. Also known as Double-Ten Day, since it falls on Oct. 10, National Day had been widely celebrated by Chinese communities in Hong Kong and Macau before they reverted to Chinese rule.
■ Foreign affairs
Powell rumor dismissed
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) dismissed as "mere speculation" yesterday a media report that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) might have an informal meeting with US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Panama early next month. Chen is scheduled to leave for a Latin American tour late this month. His itinerary will include a state visit to Panama to attend a ceremony marking the nation's centennial on Nov. 3. As US President George W. Bush has designated Powell to attend the Panamanian ceremony on his behalf, local news media said Chen might meet with Powell by chance during their stays in Panama.
■ Culture
Free birthday performance
The Overseas Chinese Commission will sponsor a free performance of music and drama at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall at 7pm tomorrow as part of celebrations for Double Ten Day on Friday. The show is primarily designed to treat overseas Chinese who have returned to Taiwan for the 92nd birthday of the Republic of China. Commission Chairwoman Chang Fu-mei (張富美) said the show would be a "combination of modern and traditional arts."
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
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