Renowned surgeon and outspoken political activist Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he is visiting Beijing to “get to know China and be known by China.”
Ko flew to the Chinese capital on Sunday as part of a delegation to attend a two-day academic conference on the ideas and life of Chiang Wei-shui (蔣渭水), one of the most important figures in Taiwan’s resistance to Japanese colonial rule.
The conference is being hosted by the Taipei-based Taiwan Research Fund along with the China Council for the Promotion of Cultural Development, which is headquartered in Beijing. The meeting was scheduled to begin yesterday.
Ko, an attending physician and chairman of National Taiwan University Hospital’s Department of Traumatology, said that China is “an issue that Taiwan inevitably needs to face and so he plans to “observe the country up close.”
Now is the right time to be “on the frontlines” for observation, he added.
As for “becoming known by China,” Ko said he does not want China to know Taiwan only through “another batch of people,” apparently hinting at members and supports of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
Although he stopped short of saying he represented a majority of Taiwanese pubic opinion, “at least I represent a big chunk of the public,” Ko said.
He expressed hope that he can help promote mutual understanding during his visit, adding that his goal is to seek “mutual respect.”
Ko’s delegation is headed by Control Yuan member and Taiwan Research Fund founder Huang Huang-hsiung (黃煌雄), and includes professors from National Chengchi University and National Taiwan University.
The Chinese delegation is mostly comprised of academics specializing in Taiwan affairs, the organizers said.
It is Ko’s first visit to China since 2008, because for five years, he was unable to obtain a permit from the Chinese authorities to travel to China because of his open criticism of former Chinese president Hu Jintao’s (胡錦濤) Taiwan policy.
Prior to 2008, Ko said he had visited China frequently for medical exchanges.
The outspoken surgeon, who has often commented on domestic affairs, has been mentioned as a possible opposition candidate for Taipei mayor in next year’s election.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
RSS