President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) envoy to the 2008 APEC forum leaders summit described his encounter with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) on Friday as an “interesting” meeting between two “old friends.”
“It is very significant for old friends to meet each other outside of Asia,” former vice president Lien Chan (連戰) said at an international press conference after his 40-minute meeting with Hu at the Chinese president’s hotel. The meeting was open to the media for around five minutes.
Lien addressed Hu as “General Secretary Hu” — Hu met Lien in his capacity as general secretary of the Communist Party of China — while Hu addressed Lien as “chairman,” referring to his post as honorary chairman of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Hu, accompanied by Wang Yi (王毅), director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, said that he was happy to meet Lien again and lauded his efforts in promoting the peaceful development of cross-strait relations over the years.
Asked whether or not he carried any messages from Ma, Lien said only that he and Hu discussed “things about which we are concerned and how to direct our efforts toward peaceful development, cooperation and a win-win situation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait.”
“We hope to put economics ahead of politics,” Lien said.
Taiwan still needs to consult with China on the signing of investment guarantee agreements for Taiwanese businessmen operating in China and on the avoidance of double taxation, he said.
Foreign reporters covering the meeting said that Latin American nations did not dare not sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with Taiwan because of the “one China” principle and asked Lien if he discussed the matter with Hu.
Lien said the issue was complex and was not included in the meeting, adding that while the promotion of FTAs is important, the multilateral free trade system under the APEC framework is also crucial.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
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Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) yesterday authorized the execution of convicted murderer Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), the first death row prisoner to be put to death since President William Lai (賴清德) took office. Huang was to be executed via a firing squad yesterday evening, which would leave Taiwan with 36 convicts on death row. Huang on Oct. 1, 2013, broke into his ex-girlfriend Wang Ping-chih’s (王品智) residence in New Taipei City, where he raped and murdered Wang. He also killed Wang’s mother. Huang was bitter over the breakup and her accusation that he had stolen NT$200,000 (US$6,074) from her bank account, prosecutors said
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