Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday denied that the new government’s “new southbound policy” aims to “bypass China” and reiterated that a good cross-strait relationship would require both sides’ effort and sincerity.
People First Party (PFP) Legislator Chen Yi-chieh (陳怡潔) at a legislative question-and-answer session yesterday asked how Lin views China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) Minister Zhang Zhijun’s (張志軍) remarks that the new southbound policy “is destined to fail when [the Democratic Progressive Party government] aims to replace Taiwan’s [investment in China] with it.”
Lin said the new policy is not an attempt to counter China.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“We also look forward to an improved cross-strait relationship and friendly interactions, which are no impediment to our exchanges with other regions,” the premier said.
He denied that the southbound policy is meant to “bypass China,” saying: “You would not stop making other friends just because you already have one,” and reiterated that improving cross-strait relations requires goodwill from both sides of the Strait.
Chen then said that if a good choice is made to head the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) — a position that has yet to be decided, with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) rumored to be possible candidates — the cross-strait relationship could thaw, “especially at a time when we seem to be entering a cold standoff with China.”
She said that Chinese state-run newspaper the People’s Daily in an article published on Wednesday last week derided the idea of a “second-track” mechanism for cross-strait exchanges, saying that “no track, be it first or second, would be possible if a political foundation [which for Beijing would be the ‘1992 consensus’] is nonexistent.”
Chen also brought up the TAO’s repudiation of what Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said late last month about China being Taiwan’s “neighbor.”
“In response to Chang’s remarks, the TAO said Taiwan and China are not neighbors, but belong to ‘one family,’ and accused the ‘neighbor’ analogy of being ‘pregnant with Taiwanese independence insinuations,’” Chen said.
Lin did not respond directly when asked whether he thinks the two nations are “neighbors or one family,” but said that the cross-strait relationship “is just the cross-strait relationship.”
Separately yesterday, KMT Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) questioned Lin over Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh’s (謝長廷) alleged promise to open Taiwan’s market to Japanese food products from five Japanese prefectures that were banned after the 2011 Fukushima disaster.
Huang alleged that Hsieh said at a news conference in Japan on Monday that foodstuffs from parts of Japan that were banned over fears of irradiation would soon be able to enter Taiwan.
“I have not read the report [about Hsieh’s remarks], but the government’s position is that there is no set agenda for the lifting of the ban on Japan’s food products from radiation-affected zones,” Lin said.
According to a report from the Central News Agency, Hsieh cited President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) call to apply “scientific method and international standards” when it comes to food import issues that “concern the health of Taiwanese,” reiterating the need for “cautious handling” to ensure that imported foodstuffs do not exceed safe limits on radioactive contaminants, “which might take five or six months [before a final conclusion could be made].”
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS