China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) representatives would not be allowed to enter Taiwan except in special cases, an official said yesterday, citing China’s measures targeting “Taiwanese independence separatists” and cross-border repression as examples of its continued hostility and lack of goodwill toward Taiwan.
This year’s Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum is scheduled to take place in Shanghai next month.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) is planning to lead a delegation to Shanghai on Dec. 25, participate in the forum’s opening ceremony on Dec. 26 and travel back to Taipei on Dec. 27.
Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei Times
However, the Mainland Affairs Council recently rejected Shanghai TAO Deputy Director Li Xiaodong’s (李驍東) application to enter Taiwan, drawing criticism from the TAO.
An official said that the Shanghai TAO treats Taiwanese businesspeople poorly.
Although Shanghai has a large number of Taiwanese businesspeople, very few return to Taiwan to participate in events organized by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF), the official said.
The Shanghai TAO obstructs and threatens Taiwanese, discouraging them from attending events organized by the SEF or Taiwanese government, officials said.
Since the director and deputy director of the Shanghai TAO show no goodwill toward Taiwan, the council denied Li’s application to enter the nation, they added.
Despite broader tensions, Taipei and Shanghai would continue other exchanges under the Twin City Forum, the official said.
Among those exchanges, China is sending a panda to Taiwan, and Taiwan is sending a black-footed penguin in return. Taipei has approved two Chinese zoo officials and an official from the Shanghai TAO to visit the nation and inspect the panda’s housing at the Taipei Zoo, the official said.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
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