The leaders of the nation's political parties should hold a summit to forge a united front against China's planned "anti-secession" law, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus proposed yesterday.
"While the proposed legislation is expected to define Taiwan issues as a domestic affair [of China] and portray cross-strait tension as the legacy of the civil war between the Nationalist and Communist forces, we think it is necessary for our political leaders to meet and hammer out a counter-policy in response to the soon-to-be-passed law," DPP caucus whip Lai Ching-teh (賴清德) said.
Lai said that he plans to take up the proposal with Legislative Speaker and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) when Wang convenes the next round of cross-party talks, possibly sometime next week.
PHOTO: WANG MING-WEI, TAIPEI TIMES
"We'd like to see other legislative caucuses support the proposition and reach a consensus after the law is enacted," Lai said.
He said that once a consensus has been reached among the legislative caucuses, he would like to see caucus leaders going back to their individual parties to convince their party leaders to attend a summit.
Or better yet, Lai said, the summit can be proposed in the second legislative resolution scheduled to be made after the anti-secession law is passed by China's National People's Congress (NPC) on Monday.
Likening China's leadership to former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Lai called on Beijing to cancel the enactment of the anti-secession law immediately.
He said China's leaders should rein in their horses before they commit a serious blunder.
Peter Lin (
Lai's proposal of a leaders summit received mixed responses from other party caucuses. Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) legislative whip Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said that his caucus supports the proposal, although he doubts that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) would attend such a summit.
Lo said it sounds like a good idea for political leaders to sit down and hammer out counter-measures after the law has been enacted.
However, People First Party (PFP) caucus whip Chen Chih-bin (陳志彬) said that it would have made more sense if President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) had invited political leaders to discuss the matter, instead of letting the lawmaking body take the initiative.
"I don't have any problem with the political leaders summit, but I thought it would make more sense for the president to call the meeting, because it would be more time-consuming for the legislature to reach a consensus than having the president extend the invitation," he said.
KMT caucus whip Chen Chieh (陳杰) gave an evasive response.
"Although it sounds like a good idea and I am not averse to it, I don't think it is necessary, because the legislature has already passed a resolution to condemn the law and will make another one after the law has been enacted," he said.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS