Taiwanese delegates to the annual Straits Forum did not get a meeting with the chairperson of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) for the first time in the 11-year history of the cross-strait platform.
Instead, Taiwan Affairs Office Director Liu Jieyi (劉結一) met with the visitors — who included New Party Chairman Wu Cherng-dean (吳成典) and People First Party adviser Li Jian-nan (黎建南) — yesterday morning, ahead of the opening ceremony in Xiamen, instead of CPPCC Chairman Wang Yang (汪洋).
Lee Cheng-hung (李政宏), president of the China-based Association of Taiwan Investment Enterprises on the Mainland, and Lu Li’an (盧麗安), a Taiwan-born representative to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 19th National Congress, also attended the meeting.
Photo: CNA
However, Wang did send a video message that was played at the forum in the afternoon, reiterating Beijing’s usual line of opposition to Taiwan’s independence and adding that under the “1992 consensus” based on the “one China” principle, the two sides of the Taiwan Strait are to develop cross-strait cooperation and promote unification.
It was learned that Beijing decided not to send Wang to the forum and to have Liu receive the delegation after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) decided not to send an official delegation this year over what most Taiwanese viewed as a demeaning remark by the host of a China Central Television (CCTV) program.
A headline banner during the program summarized host Li Hong’s (李紅) comments as: “With the Strait on the brink of war, this man is coming to the mainland to plead for peace,” referring to former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), whom the KMT had picked to head its delegation.
The KMT asked Li to apologize, but then decided not to send an official party delegation, although its members were free to go on their own.
The so-called “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000, refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-fu
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
ALARM GROWS: US officials are concerned that China’s claim that the Taiwan Strait is an internal waterway is a deliberate effort to muddy the legal status of Taiwan US President Joe Biden’s administration has decided to reject a vague new assertion by China that the Taiwan Strait is not “international waters” and is increasingly concerned the stance could result in more frequent challenges at sea for Taiwan, people familiar with the matter said. Chinese officials have made such remarks repeatedly in meetings with US counterparts over the past few months. In the past, while China regularly protested US military moves in the Taiwan Strait, the legal status of the waters was not a regular talking point in meetings with US officials. The timing of the assertion is causing alarm within the
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
RSS