The DPP is poised to have its first success on the diplomatic front since President Chen Shui-bian (
Hsiao Bi-khim (
She said there is a high chance the party will become a member because there has been very little objection from members of the executive committee.
The DPP has been an observer in the organization since 1993.
A global federation of liberal parties founded in Oxford in 1947, the group unites 84 political parties from 67 countries on six continents.
If the DPP obtains approval, it will become the third member party in Asia, following the Liberal Party of Sri Lanka and the Liberal Party of the Philippines.
The director noted the admission would be of tremendous significance for the DPP because it would become a world partner in promoting democracy, freedom and party politics.
Last year, President Chen was granted the Prize for Freedom by the association. But he was unable to receive the award in person after all 15 members of the EU refused to grant Chen a visa to attend the award ceremony.
First lady Wu Shu-chen (
Hsiao also said that in October the DPP will participate in a transatlantic dialogue meeting attended by members of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the European Liberal Democrats and Reformers.
Held in Seoul and to be presided over by South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, the meeting is scheduled to focus on issues concerning corruption fighting and government transparency.
Chen was invited to attend, but a party official said Chen would not be able to attend the meeting due to his hectic schedule. The party is still deciding who will attend the conference on Chen's behalf.
Founded in 1993 to promote peace and economic prosperity in the Asia Pacific region, CALD has eight party members. Taiwan will be the host country for its annual meeting next year.
In related news, DPP Legislator Trong Chai (
The conference, scheduled for Jan. 7, is being sponsored by the Taiwan-USA Inter-Parliamentary Amity Association, a body in which the senior DPP lawmaker serves as president.
Chai has said the conference will provide an opportunity for lawmakers from different countries to map out a practical agenda for preserving regional stability and to cultivate diplomatic connections.
The lawmaker said he seeks to invite more than 300 lawmakers from the US, Europe and Asia to join the meeting.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS