The Presidential Office yesterday dismissed a media report claiming that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had instructed the military not to conduct live-fire exercises during the Han Kuang military drill, scheduled to be held between Sept. 22 and Sept. 26.
Dismissing the report as “untrue,” Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said Ma would respect the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) arrangements.
Wang made the remarks in response to a media inquiry about a Chinese-language China Times report yesterday that Ma requested the military not to fire any live munitions during the exercise as a goodwill gesture toward China.
The ministry had previously said it would not televise any part of the second-stage, live-fire exercise as Ma’s predecessors had done.
NO GUESTS
The ministry also decided not to invite the media or other guests to observe the drill, which it said was to save energy in line with government policy.
Wang said yesterday Ma had not yet decided whether to observe the drill, which will be the first Han Kuang exercise since he took office in May.
The ministry yesterday also issued a press release, denying the China Times report.
It confirmed, however, that a missile firing display, which in the past saw the military fire missiles and artillery shells simultaneously while inviting members of the media to take pictures, would be canceled this time.
“We decided to cancel the missile firing display to save resources,” the press release said.
SUPPORT
When approached for comment, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), head of the legislature’s Diplomacy and National Defense Committee, expressed support for the ministry’s decision to cancel the display.
“That [display] was completely for show,” he said. “It was a scene of bustle and excitement, but completely worthless in terms of a military drill.”
Additional reporting by Flora Wang
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
Taiwan and the US have begun trade negotiations over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump earlier this month, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said in an interview this morning before reporting to the Legislative Yuan’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the US, has already established communication channels with the US Department of State and the US Trade Representative (USTR), and is engaging in intensive consultations, he said. Points of negotiation include tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers and issues related to investment, procurement and export controls, he
RSS