Speaking in Xian on the first day of his trip to China, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) said that he was moved to finally be able to set foot on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
"Everyone knows that the Strait between the two shores is only 100-odd kilometers wide, but it is moving for myself and [Chen] Wan-shui [陳萬水, Soong's wife] that it took us more than 50 years to cross the very narrow divide that is the Taiwan Strait," Soong said after arriving in Xian yesterday afternoon.
He was greeted at the airport by Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office director Chen Yunlin (
PHOTO: AP
Speaking at Xian's airport upon arrival, Soong talked of his hopes for the trip and emphasized the "similar interests" shared by citizens of China and Taiwan as "common descendants of Yan Di."
Legend says that Yan Di was the father of Chinese agriculture and one of the first ancestors of the "Chinese people."
"I chose Xian as our first stop in China for two reasons. First, to look for the origin of our bloodline, and second, to build a bridge to the future," Soong said.
All Taiwanese, whether they are Hakka, Mainlander or Hoklo, trace their bloodlines to China, and thus were all Chinese people, he said.
In a play on words, Soong said that he hoped his journey would establish a "fourth direct link" -- a connection between the spirits of all "descendants of Yan Di."
"Many supporters asked me whether or not I would be able to facilitate the establishment of the `three direct links.' I've told them it is more important that I establish the `fourth link,' the link between the spirits on both sides of the Taiwan Strait," Soong said.
After visiting the Huangdi Mausoleum today, Soong is scheduled to fly to Nanjing.
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon yesterday morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan from tomorrow to Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was approximately 950km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost point, the CWA said. It is expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, it said. The agency said it could issue a sea warning in the early hours of today and a land warning in the afternoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving at
DISCONTENT: The CCP finds positive content about the lives of the Chinese living in Taiwan threatening, as such video could upset people in China, an expert said Chinese spouses of Taiwanese who make videos about their lives in Taiwan have been facing online threats from people in China, a source said yesterday. Some young Chinese spouses of Taiwanese make videos about their lives in Taiwan, often speaking favorably about their living conditions in the nation compared with those in China, the source said. However, the videos have caught the attention of Chinese officials, causing the spouses to come under attack by Beijing’s cyberarmy, they said. “People have been messing with the YouTube channels of these Chinese spouses and have been harassing their family members back in China,”
UPDATED FORECAST: The warning covered areas of Pingtung County and Hengchun Peninsula, while a sea warning covering the southern Taiwan Strait was amended The Central Weather Administration (CWA) at 5:30pm yesterday issued a land warning for Typhoon Usagi as the storm approached Taiwan from the south after passing over the Philippines. As of 5pm, Usagi was 420km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan proper’s southernmost tip, with an average radius of 150km, the CWA said. The land warning covered areas of Pingtung County and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春), and came with an amended sea warning, updating a warning issued yesterday morning to cover the southern part of the Taiwan Strait. No local governments had announced any class or office closures as of press time last night. The typhoon
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said there are four weather systems in the western Pacific, with one likely to strengthen into a tropical storm and pose a threat to Taiwan. The nascent tropical storm would be named Usagi and would be the fourth storm in the western Pacific at the moment, along with Typhoon Yinxing and tropical storms Toraji and Manyi, the CWA said. It would be the first time that four tropical cyclones exist simultaneously in November, it added. Records from the meteorology agency showed that three tropical cyclones existed concurrently in January in 1968, 1991 and 1992.
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