The government is to abolish the Cabinet-level Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission, many of the functions of which will be taken over by a new Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation (台灣西藏交流基金會) which is to be formally established today.
The government's move makes a break with the past claims of the ROC to sovereignty over Tibet and Mongolia, a claim it backed up by retaining a Cabinet Agency to handle their affairs.
"President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the representative of the Tibetan government-in-exile, Tashi Wangdi, will attend the founding ceremony [on Monday] afternoon of the Taiwan-Tibet Exchange Foundation," said the source, "and we believe that it will serve as an non-official communication channel, but supported by the government, between Taiwan and the Tibetan government-in-exile."
A source from the DPP's legislative caucus also told Taipei Times that a visit to the home of the Tibetan government in exile in Dharmsala, India, was being arranged for a cross-party delegation of lawmakers.
The delegation may be accompanied by Weng Shih-chieh (
The foundation will consist of government think-tank members, DPP members and private entrepreneurs familiar with Tibetan affairs.
Day Sheng-tong (
The source said that preparations for the foundation have been under way for more than a year, and funding for the foundation will come from both government and private sources.
The source stressed that since Taiwan has new channels of communications with both Mongolia and Tibet, the Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission will gradually be wound down.
The commission is a legacy from the KMT government, which claimed sovereignty over China, Tibet and Mongolia.
"Taiwan and Mongolia have already set up mutual representative offices. After the foundations' inception, the commission will see its functions dwindle even further," the source said.
The commission's view of Tibet as part of China has generated a great deal of unhappiness in its dealings with the Tibetan government-in-exile, according to the source. It also created obstacles in the run-up to the Dalai Lama's two visits to Taiwan, in 1997 and 2001.
"After its inception, the foundation will take over bilateral exchanges such as religious, cultural and tourism matters," the source said. "It will also mediate disputes and handle visits by people from each side."
Since it used to regard Tibet as part of China, Taiwan used to handle visits by officials of the Tibetan government-in-exile in the same way as visits by PRC officials. This has caused tension between the two governments.
The problem was resolved after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took over issuing visas to visiting Tibetan officials.
Taiwan, however, still lacks an official entity dedicated to handling what have become extensive bilateral religious exchanges, and the new foundation is designed to fill that role. Tibetan Buddhism has attracted a significant following, in Taiwan over the past decade.
The foundation officials are optimistic about raising funds from private entrepreneurs, given the popularity of Tibetan Buddhism. The foundation's work will focus primarily on religious and cultural exchanges and humanitarian aid. It will not be involved in politics and will not become embroiled in the unification-independence issue, according to the source. The foundation's operations will include medical aid, agricultural techniques for Tibetan exiles in India, language training, academic exchanges, volunteer work and publishing.
Also see story:
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
NATIONAL SECURITY: The Chinese influencer shared multiple videos on social media in which she claimed Taiwan is a part of China and supported its annexation Freedom of speech does not allow comments by Chinese residents in Taiwan that compromise national security or social stability, the nation’s top officials said yesterday, after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) revoked the residency permit of a Chinese influencer who published videos advocating China annexing Taiwan by force. Taiwan welcomes all foreigners to settle here and make families so long as they “love the land and people of Taiwan,” Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) told lawmakers during a plenary session at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. The public power of the government must be asserted when necessary and the Ministry of
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
Proposed amendments would forbid the use of all personal electronic devices during school hours in high schools and below, starting from the next school year in August, the Ministry of Education said on Monday. The Regulations on the Use of Mobile Devices at Educational Facilities up to High Schools (高級中等以下學校校園行動載具使用原則) state that mobile devices — defined as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches or other wearables — should be turned off at school. The changes would stipulate that use of such devices during class is forbidden, and the devices should be handed to a teacher or the school for safekeeping. The amendments also say
RSS