Presidential Office Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) yesterday met with members of the People First Party (PFP) to hear their opinions on President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) proposal to invite the leaders of minority parties to discuss changes to the Constitution, including the possibility of transitioning to a true presidential system.
Wu met in the morning with PFP deputy secretaries-general Ma Chieh-ming (馬傑明) and Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞), following similar talks with the New Power Party (NPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) on Tuesday.
The PFP later said in a statement that the three exchanged ideas about possible topics for the cross-party leaders’ reform meeting, but added that it would wait until other minority parties provide their input before topics are finalized.
According to the statement, Wu conveyed Tsai’s gratitude to PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) for his support of the proposed meeting, while Ma and Lee quoted Soong as saying he would be open-minded and determined for the meeting and as Tsai’s envoy to the APEC summit in Da Nang, Vietnam.
Soong intends to “put aside party politics and do his utmost for the sake of the nation and its people,” the statement added.
The idea of a cross-party leaders’ meeting convened by the president was first proposed by the PFP, Lee said, adding that it was happy to see Tsai act on the idea and that such a meeting should reflect the state of the nation’s internal and foreign affairs, economy and cross-strait relations.
On Tuesday, Presidential Office spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said that Wu met with NPP Secretary-General Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏), who assured Wu that his party would do its best to coordinate on the meeting.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Lee Ming-hsien (李明賢) confirmed that Wu spoke with KMT Vice Chairman Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) by telephone on Tuesday, saying that KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) has been informed about the proposed meeting.
“We are all in the same boat... The Presidential Office is working hard to communicate with all party caucuses and leaders,” Lee Hung-chun said. “If we can all find common ground and eliminate problems, it will be a good thing.”
Upon its completion next year, the new Tamkang Bridge (淡江大橋) in New Taipei City is to be an important landmark in Taiwan, alongside Taipei 101, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said today. The bridge is scheduled to be completed in December next year and open to the public in the first half of 2026, connecting New Taipei City’s Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里) districts. It is an asymmetric single-tower suspension bridge, nearly 70 stories tall, designed by world-famous architect Zaha Hadid. The bridge aims to alleviate traffic in Tamsui and on the Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋), in addition to increasing the
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