Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration should not "close" Taiwan to interaction with China in the long term.
Ma made the remarks a day after President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) reiterated that a government policy of "not accrediting university diplomas issued by China and banning Taiwan's universities from recruiting Chinese students" would not be changed during the remainder of his term in office.
Addressing the opening of a southern Taiwan university and graduate institute exposition held at the Business Exhibition Center in Kaohsiung City, Chen said if the doors were opened there could be an adverse impact on the nation's employment market.
In response, Ma said yesterday that the two sides of the Taiwan Strait need more interaction, stressing that if the DPP government is still reluctant to open doors to China, all efforts by different sectors to help promote cross-strait exchanges would be in vain.
The pace and manner of opening the nation to Chinese students or allowing Taiwanese students to pursue studies in China could be discussed, but it was unwise for the government to adopt a long-term closed-door policy, Ma said.
He warned that if the DPP government continued to block interaction with China, Taiwan would not only be unable to reach out, but that it could also fall behind economically.
Ma made the remarks during an interview with reporters after attending an international seminar held by United Way Taiwan (UWT) to mark its 15th anniversary. UWT is a non-profit organization devoted to pooling resources to satisfy community needs.
An exhibition demonstrating the rejuvenation of the indigenous Kuskus Village in Pingtung County’s Mudan Township (牡丹) opened at the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s conservation station in Taipei on Thursday. Agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) said they have been promoting the use and development of forestry resources to local indigenous residents for eight years to drive regional revitalization. While modern conservation approaches mostly stem from western scientific research, eco-friendly knowledge and skills passed down through generations of indigenous people, who have lived in Taiwan for centuries, could be more suitable for the environment, he said. The agency’s Pingtung branch Director-General Yang Jui-fen (楊瑞芬)
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Academics have expressed mixed views on President William Lai’s (賴清德) nomination of High Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Tsai Chiu-ming (蔡秋明) as a Constitutional Court justice and the head of the nation’s top judicial body. While prosecutors have served as justices at the Constitutional Court over the years, including Judy Ju (朱富美), an incumbent, the appointment of a prosecutor as president of the Judicial Yuan, which presides over the Constitutional Court, would be unprecedented. Retired law professor Lin Teng-yao (林騰鷂) said that Tsai’s nomination was an “abuse” of power by Lai, and called on the legislature, in which the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)