■ Politics
Second Chen summit mulled
The Presidential Office doesn't rule out the possibility of arranging a second meeting between President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), an official said yesterday. The Presidential Office staff member was responding to media reports that Chen will meet with Soong again soon. The official said no plans for a second meeting are in the works at the moment. However, if it becomes necessary or if an opportunity presents itself, the office doesn't rule out the possibility of holding such a meeting in the future, he said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun called PFP Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生) on Monday, the official said, but the phone conversation didn't touch on the topic of a second meeting. On Monday Soong urged Chen to faithfully implement the 10-point consensus reached at their Feb. 24 meeting to avert the possibility of China using "non-peaceful means" against Taiwan as mandated by the Beijing's new "anti-secession" law. "In response to Soong's public appeal, Yu called Chin to affirm Chen's commitment to substantiating the 10 conclusions ... Yu also exchanged views on the `anti-secession' law's impact on Taiwan's domestic political situation, the official said.
■ National defense
Academy mulls fewer trips
The navy is considering adjusting its annual international voyage for Naval Academy graduates since the school has fewer graduates each year. According to high-ranking navy officials, for budgetary reasons the trip may be offered every other year or juniors and seniors may make one joint voyage instead of the seniors only. Officials said not only is the school attracting fewer freshmen, but more students were washing out of the academy. As a result, the fleet is experiencing a severe manpower shortage. There were 850 crew members on this year's trip, which began on Feb. 24 with a sail around Taiwan before heading overseas on March 5. This year's 101-day voyage will be the first time that navy ships will have crossed the three major oceans of the world.
■ Weather
Typhoon to miss Taiwan
The year's second typhoon has formed in the Pacific but poses no threat to Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. Typhoon Roke is well southwest of the Philippines and moving westward at 32kph. Roke has a radius of 100km. Roke is expected to pass through the central Philippines.
■ Aid
Group to go to ADB meeting
The government will send a delegation to Manila on Friday to attend the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) meeting to assess the progress in rehabilitating areas in South Asia devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunamis, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Chie Wen-chi (介文汲), deputy director-general of the ministry's Department of International Organization, made the announcement at a news conference. He said the delegation will be headed by Representative to the Philippines Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興). The ADB has set up a US$600 million trust fund for aid to tsunami-affected Asian countries, Chie said, adding that the Manila meeting will discuss ways to offer more help. In addition to ADB member states, the tsunami-affected countries and international organizations such as the UN and the World Health Organization, as well as major non-governmental organizations, have been invited to take part in the meeting, officials said.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
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