Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Wang, who concurrently serves as a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman, was referring to an olive branch for party reconciliation offered by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in his New Year's address for the sake of political stability.
After the Dec. 11 legislative elections, the opposition "pan-blue alliance" of the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) maintained a majority in the 225-seat Legislative Yuan.
"Party-to-party consultations are better than nothing," Wang said.
However, he also said that whether the atmosphere for holding such talks can be created will hinge on whether the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is sincere.
The DPP legislative caucus offered yesterday to cooperate with all other political parties, but the opposition "pan-blue alliance" quickly dismissed it as an attempt to split the alliance.
Ker Chien-ming (
Ker said that for the sake of political stability, the DPP will not only consult with the PFP, but also with the KMT, the Taiwan Solidarity Union and even the Non-Partisan Solidarity Union because party-to-party consultations as envisaged by Chen are just beginning to take shape.
On the KMT's part, Huang Teh-fu (
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Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
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