New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, yesterday proposed transforming Kinmen County into a cross-strait economic pilot zone and transportation hub to help facilitate peaceful exchanges between Taiwan and China.
During a trip to Kinmen, which is less than 10km from southeast China, Hou said that turning the area into an economic pilot zone that offers tax incentives would help attract Chinese investment in to the county.
He said that if elected in January next year he would enhance the major ports in Kinmen and increase the frequency of flights in and out of the county to make the zone possible.
Photo: CNA
He also proposed that Kinmen become a medical and healthcare hub, not only to solve the longstanding problem of a lack of medical resources in the county, but also to make it a destination for Chinese medical tourists.
The KMT candidate said that Kinmen should import electricity and natural gas from China’s Fujian Province to ensure supply, after it began importing water from Jinjiang, China, in 2018.
Regarding a proposal by some Kinmen residents to construct a bridge linking the county with Xiamen, China, Hou said that he is open to all opinions and respects the wishes of Kinmen residents who plan to hold a referendum on the issue.
He said that his support of a referendum and of importing electricity and natural gas from China are based on the condition that doing so would not negatively affect Taiwan’s national security.
The proposal for a Kinmen-Xiamen bridge has previously been criticized by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as posing a national security risk should China invade.
Hou arrived in Kinmen yesterday afternoon, a day before the 65th anniversary of the 823 Artillery Bombardment of the county, a key battle that marked the beginning of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis.
On Aug. 23, 1958, nine years after the Republic of China (ROC) government retreated from China to Taiwan after losing the Chinese Civil War, Chinese communist forces attacked Kinmen. Over the next 44 days, 475,000 artillery shells were fired at the islands in an attempt to take them over.
In his news conference, Hou thanked Kinmen residents for standing on the front line of defending the ROC from invasion 65 years ago.
The country’s prosperity and democracy would forever be indebted to them for their contributions, he said.
Hou reiterated his support for a version of the so-called “1992 consensus” that conforms with the Constitution, without elaborating.
He said that he would try to reopen dialogue with China on equal footing to prevent a cross-strait war, because “there can be no losers in peace and no victors in war.”
The “1992 consensus” — a term that 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 Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Beijing shut down its official communication channel with Taiwan after the DPP, which has refused to accept the “1992 consensus,” came to power in May 2016.
The DPP says it does accept the “1992 consensus” on the grounds that Beijing has never acknowledged the ROC’s existence and that agreeing to the consensus implies acceptance of China’s claim over Taiwan.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
RSS