A group of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and newly elected county commissioners yesterday arrived in Xiamen to meet with Chinese officials, days after Beijing extended effective bans on Taiwanese exports to include liquor and more types of seafood.
Chen Fu-hai (陳福海) and Wang Chung-ming (王忠銘), who are to take office as Kinmen and Lienchiang county commissioners respectively on Dec. 25, arrived in China’s Fujian Province yesterday afternoon.
They were joined by KMT legislators Jessica Chen (陳玉珍) from Kinmen and Chen Hsuen-sheng (陳雪生) from Lienchiang County, and Lienchiang County Council Speaker Chang Yuan-chiang (張永江).
Photo courtesy of Chen’s office
They were reportedly given special permission to forgo COVID-19 quarantine for their two-day trip, and are to return at 6pm today.
Jessica Chen told reporters at Kinmen Airport that the group was invited to discuss the recent suspensions of Taiwanese imports and the resumption of the “small three links” with officials responsible for Taiwan affairs.
Travel between the counties and China’s Fujian Province has been difficult since the links were suspended on Feb. 10, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now that pandemic-related border restrictions have been eased for the rest of the country, county residents are calling for the restoration of the small three links, which allow for direct transportation, postal services and trade with China.
With the small three links suspended, it has been difficult to develop Kinmen’s economy, Jessica Chen said.
With exports of Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor Inc to China suspended, she said she fears another large blow to the county’s economy and tax revenue.
During their visit, she said that representatives are to discuss the reasons behind the suspensions, as well as protocols for Taiwanese traveling to China once the small three links are reinstated.
She said that in December last year, she invited Cabinet officials to the legislature to respond to concerns about the new Chinese import registration rules and the effect it might have on liquor exports.
A decision was reached at that meeting to seek an explanation from Beijing and to assist Kinmen Kaoliang with any needed documentation, but a year later, the issue remains unresolved, she said.
The delegation is traveling to China to better understand the problem to help stakeholders in Taiwan, she said.
In response to questions about the trip, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) yesterday reiterated a comment from President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) Double Ten National Day speech, in which she said she “looks forward to the gradual resumption of healthy and orderly cross-strait people-to-people exchanges.”
However, any decision regarding the small three links depends on developments in the pandemic and the overall cross-strait situation, he added.
Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) raised concern over the rise in COVID-19 cases in China, saying that it could harm the health of Taiwanese if the nation opens its borders.
Additional reporting by Chen Yun and Hsu Tzu-ling
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
RSS