The Japan Interchange Association in Taipei yesterday confirmed it has issued a visa to former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝). The visa will allow Lee to make a single entry into Japan for a maximum stay of 15 days, the same as other tourists from Taiwan, a spokesman said.
China, riled by Japan's decision to issue Lee a visa despite its protests, warned yesterday that the move might damage relations.
"The Japanese government acted in disregard of the Chinese government's solemn representation and firm opposition and stubbornly allowed Lee Teng-hui to go to Japan to carry out activities to split the country," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao (劉建超) said at a news briefing.
"The Chinese government ex-presses strong dissatisfaction and again demands the Japanese side rectify this wrong decision," he said.
Liu declined to say whether Beijing would retaliate against Japan. Chinese envoy to Japan Cheng Yonghua (
Liu said Japan's decision to issue the visa was "a very significant incident in China-Japan relations."
"I want to emphasize that the Japanese side should learn from past experience and adopt a correct attitude and rectify its wrong decision in order not to impair overall relations between China and Japan," he said.
Liu said the political motivations of Lee's visit were obvious.
"His political motive is to find backing and create overseas conditions for his activities to split the country. We think the Japanese side should be clear about this," he added.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told reporters yesterday that Lee wants to travel as a private citizen, so there is no reason to turn down his application.
"[Lee] also graduated from a Japanese university," Koizumi said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Japan's decision.
"The ministry and our representative office in Japan will offer necessary help for former president Lee," spokesman Michel Lu (
A friend close to Lee yesterday said that apart from family members and doctors, Lee will also bring two "VIP guests" to Japan. Lee's friend declined to reveal their identities.
Lee will fly to Japan on Monday and visit his alma mater, Kyoto University, during his stay.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
COORDINATION, ASSURANCE: Separately, representatives reintroduced a bill that asks the state department to review guidelines on how the US engages with Taiwan US senators on Tuesday introduced the Taiwan travel and tourism coordination act, which they said would bolster bilateral travel and cooperation. The bill, proposed by US senators Marsha Blackburn and Brian Schatz, seeks to establish “robust security screenings for those traveling to the US from Asia, open new markets for American industry, and strengthen the economic partnership between the US and Taiwan,” they said in a statement. “Travel and tourism play a crucial role in a nation’s economic security,” but Taiwan faces “pressure and coercion from the Chinese Communist Party [CCP]” in this sector, the statement said. As Taiwan is a “vital trading
RSS