The “two sides of the [Taiwan] Strait are one family,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) reiterated yesterday at the opening ceremony of the Taipei-Shanghai twin-city forum, the third time he has used the phrase in Shanghai, while Shanghai Mayor Ying Yong (應勇) said that “the compatriots of both sides of the Strait are family members that wish each other well and love each other.”
“We have always held on to the belief that both sides of the Strait are one family,” Ying added.
Ko used the phrase, which has been criticized by pro-independence and other pan-green supporters, for the first time in his speech to the 2015 twin-city forum, and again at the 2017 forum.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
In his speech yesterday, the Taipei mayor noted that it was the 10th year the forum has been held and 33 memorandums of understanding have been signed, on a wide variety of issues, during the forums.
The original goal of the forum was for people on both sides of the Strait to have more chances to communicate with one another, to enhance goodwill toward each other and move toward positive cross-strait relations, he said.
“There should be continuity in the exchanges between both, and policies should have stability. We should respect the agreements that were signed and the history of our interactions,” Ko said.
“We should continue to push peaceful development of the two sides of the Strait on the existing political foundation, and together pursue a better future for the people of the two sides,” he said.
He has always believed that “an attitude of mutual trust” and the concept of “two sides of the Strait are one family” can help promote exchanges and enhance goodwill on both sides, he said.
Repeating his “five mutual principles” as his approach to enhance the well-being of people on both sides, Ko also he wanted to push for exchanges so that “everyone can get along with each other peacefully and for the people to live a better life, because after all, a peaceful development for both sides is a common wish.”
Asked by Taiwanese reporters after the ceremony to explain his “one family” idea, Ko said that “it is an expression of attitude, meaning ‘we will be friendly to your people, but we want you to be friendly to Taiwanese’” in return.
The Chinese-language China Times yesterday reported that Ko told Shanghai government officials, who greeted him at the airport on Wednesday, that Chinese government officials wanting to visit Taipei face many obstacles, which is an unhealthy situation for which he does not yet have a solution.
Later in the day the National Immigration Agency released a statement saying that the 94.57 percent of applications to visit Taiwan submitted by Chinese officials and professionals in the first five months of the year had been approved, and the approval rate last year was 94.46 percent, so the government was not making it difficult for Chinese officials to visit.
Additional reporting by CNA
VOTERS’ CHOICE: The DPP’s Chen and independent candidate Huang conceded defeat before 7:20pm, with Chiang pledging to remain humble and do his best Legislator Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday won the Taipei mayoral election, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate defeating the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) pick, former minister of health and welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), and former Taipei deputy mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊), an independent. After polling stations closed at 4pm, the Taipei Election Commission issued a preliminary estimate that voter turnout in the city was about 64 percent, slightly lower than in 2018. Chiang, 43, is to be the youngest Taipei mayor ever, with the KMT regaining the capital after eight years. Chen had an exceptionally high national approval rating when he was head
FAMILY BACKGROUND: Chiang was effective in running a cautious campaign to avoid making mistakes, waiting for other candidates to slip up, an analyst said Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) stood out among his rivals due to his energy, his die-hard supporters and his relative openness to discuss issues such as same-sex marriage, a political analyst said yesterday. Chiang’s campaign was also aided by his family’s background in politics, which helped him garner greater support in Taipei where there is a large KMT base, said the analyst, who chose to remain anonymous. “Chiang is also not a typical KMT member when it comes to certain issues, such as gay marriage, and his more open stance widened his support base — particularly among young
First-time politician Mai Yamada’s (山田摩衣) Japanese name has attracted attention in Chinese-language media after her win in the New Taipei City Council election on Saturday. Born to a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father, the 32-year-old Taiwanese-Japanese stood out after becoming one of nine elected city councilors in Banciao District (板橋) in the nation’s local government elections on Saturday. Although she has a Japanese name, she grew up and was educated in Taiwan, Yamada said, adding that “Taiwan is my home.” Before running for local government, Yamada, who speaks fluent Japanese and English, was Legislative Speaker You Si-kun’s (游錫堃) secretary. She has been involved in
Mask easing: Teachers are allowed to take their masks off while lecturing indoors, but students should keep theirs on, as COVID-19 measures ease this week The Ministry of Education (MOE) yesterday released new on-campus COVID-19 prevention guidelines, stating that masks can be taken off while exercising, singing, dancing, performing, taking photographs, dining, drinking, video and voice recording, hosting events, presenting speeches and lecturing outdoors. Large outdoor events organized by schools should comply with the mask regulations issued by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), it added. The new guidelines came into effect yesterday, and people in Taiwan are no longer required to wear masks outdoors for the first time since May 19 last year. The CECC announced the easing of the mask mandate on Monday, adding that it
RSS