President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) reiterated that the name Taiwan uses to join the China-led Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is at the heart of whether the nation will participate in the financial institution or not.
“The name used to join is very, very critical, and China knows that,” Ma said in an interview on TV show CTS News Square aired on Friday.
“If we cannot use ‘Chinese Taipei’ to join, then we would prefer not to participate,” Ma said, referring to the name Taiwan used to join APEC in 1991.
The AIIB charter says that members of the World Bank or Asian Development Bank (ADB) are eligible to join the AIIB, which leaves the door open to Taiwan, because it is a member of the ADB.
The problem is that the Republic of China is not willing to use the name “Taipei,China,” which it uses at the ADB, Ma said.
Taiwan cannot accept that name and has made its stance clear to Beijing, Ma said.
Although the AIIB charter has been finalized, there is a process before the bank accepts applications for new members early next year, so the final phase of the process is likely to come then, he added.
Also in the interview, the president said he has not ruled out visiting Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島).
With an area of 0.4km2, Taiping is the largest natural land mass in the Spratly Islands (Nansha Islands, 南沙群島), which lie about 1,600km southwest of Taiwan in the South China Sea.
The South China Sea region, thought to be rich in oil deposits and marine biodiversity, is claimed either entirely or in part by Taiwan, China, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.
Amid simmering tensions in the region, Ma proposed a South China Sea peace initiative in May, calling on all parties to put aside their differences and jointly develop the resources in the area.
Tensions in the region have risen in recent months as China has been unilaterally reclaiming land in the South China Sea, apparently to establish military facilities.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese