President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) moved quickly yesterday to take advantage of comments reportedly made by a senior US official casting doubt on the ability of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to maintain stable cross-strait relations.
A report in the Financial Times on Thursday cited an unnamed US official as saying that Tsai had created “distinct doubts about whether she is both willing and able to continue the stability in cross-strait relations the region has enjoyed in recent years.”
Reacting to the reported comment, KMT spokesperson Chen Yi-hsin (陳以信) said it reflected “the doubts most Taiwanese have over Tsai’s cross-strait policy, that she has only wishful thinking about the China.”
Chen said that Tsai’s rejection of the “1992 consensus” — which the KMT insists is an agreement reached during cross-strait talks in Hong Kong in 1992 whereby both sides agreed to retain their own interpretation of “one China” — shows the insincerity of her claims that she would be willing to work with China in an effective manner.
“She wants China to understand her policy, but does not make enough effort to understand the views of the other side,” Chen said.
The presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for Jan. 14.
In response to a question about the anonymous official’s comments, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner reiterated long-standing US assertions that it would steer clear of Taiwanese internal politics.
“We strongly support Taiwan’s democracy and the will of the Taiwanese people to choose their leaders in the upcoming election,” Toner said. “Our only interest is in free, fair and open presidential elections. We do not take any sides.”
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
STAY VIGILANT: People should reduce the risk of chronic liver inflammation by avoiding excessive alcohol consumption, smoking and eating pickled foods, the physician said A doctor last week urged people to look for five key warning signs of acute liver failure after popular producer-turned-entertainer Shen Yu-lin (沈玉琳) was reportedly admitted to an intensive care unit for fulminant hepatitis. Fulminant hepatitis is the rapid and massive death of liver cells, impairing the organ’s detoxification, metabolic, protein synthesis and bile production functions, which if left untreated has a mortality rate as high as 80 percent, according to the Web site of Advancing Clinical Treatment of Liver Disease, an international organization focused on liver disease prevention and treatment. People with hepatitis B or C are at higher risk of
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