Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Chairman Huang Kun-hui (黃昆輝) yesterday criticized President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), saying he is “sacrificing Taiwan’s national interests for personal reputation.”
At a press conference at the TSU headquarters in Taipei, Huang accused Ma of breaking a promise he made in 2011 while running for re-election that he would not meet with China’s leader during his second term.
“Ma is sacrificing Taiwan’s national interests for his reputation, and the opaque decisionmaking process is defying both the legislature and the public,” Huang said, adding that the legislature must keep an eye on Ma and keep him in check after a new president is elected on Jan. 16.
Ma does not leave office until May 20.
Huang said that Ma cited “maintaining the ‘status quo’ and cross-strait peace” as the reasons behind meeting with Xi, “but at the moment, there are no armed clashes between Taiwan and China, and the ‘status quo’ is that China’s jurisdiction does not cover Taiwan.”
“The two reasons Ma has cited for the meeting do not exist,” Huang said. “A Ma-Xi meeting would not be a plus, rather, it would create an impression of ‘one China’ in the international community.”
While the meeting would not generate any actual benefits for Taiwan, it would only make things worse as China’s Taiwan Affairs Office announced that it would be an “unofficial meeting” under the ‘one China’ principle, Huang said.
“I do not see how that is meaningful for the nation,” he said.
Huang said that since Ma did not negotiate with the legislature and does not plan to make the meeting public, the president must clarify what he talks about with Xi and what promises that he might make.
Huang said he has requested that the TSU caucus boycott Ma’s intended report to the legislature and does not endorse any results from the meeting.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
A much-anticipated Keelung-Ishigaki Island passenger-cargo shipping route is scheduled to set off on its inaugural voyage at the end of this year, the route operator said. The route, which would be jointly administered by Taiwanese and Japanese operators, generated much discussion when it was first announced last month. The operators plan to offer three round-trip services per week in the initial stage. The service was scheduled to launch in September, but it was postponed until the end of this month due to issues with the ship’s interior design and paperwork. Trans Wagon International Co, which serves as the agent of the shipping service
RSS