Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) urged Beijing yesterday to respond positively to Taiwan’s moves to participate in the international community and to dismantle its more than 1,000 ballistic missiles targeting Taiwan.
“I believe that as long as we continue to extend goodwill to each other, cross-strait relations will remain promising,” he said after a closed-door meeting with Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) at the Grand Hotel.
Chen said that the issue was related to military confidence-building and that it was more important to address economic issues for the moment.
“Political matters must proceed step by step, one step at a time,” Wang quoted Chen as saying during their breakfast meeting.
When asked how Chen addressed him, Wang said he had emphasized that he was the head of the legislature, representing the 23 million people of Taiwan.
Chen called him “elder brother Jin-pyng” because he is eight months Chen’s senior, Wang said.
Although they did not talk about President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) scheduled meeting with Chen, Wang said it would be best if Chen addressed Ma as president.
Wang said he suggested Chen talk with representatives of different political parties to improve his understanding of Taiwan.
Wang told Chen he had not ruled out visiting China at “an appropriate time” and asked him to extend an invitation to Wu Bangguo (吳邦國), chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, to visit Taiwan.
Asked by the Taipei Times what “an appropriate time” would be, Wang said: “When the two sides need him.”
“If my visit would help solve problems, promote sound policies and benefit cross-strait development, I will go when I am needed,” he said.
Wang said he was glad to see negotiators meet in Taipei on the basis of the “1992 consensus.”
The agreements signed on Tuesday were a historic achievement, he said.
Wang said he hoped the agreements would be implemented on schedule.
Asked whether the legislature would complete its review of the agreements in good time, Wang said he hoped the legislature would deal with the four pacts as soon as possible to benefit economic cooperation and exchanges.
Wang dismissed criticism that the legislature was just a “rubber stamp,” saying its job was to oversee the government.
He stressed, however, that legislation was needed to empower the legislature to supervise cross-strait negotiations.
Regarding the June agreement to increase the quota for Chinese visiting Taiwan, Wang said that since nearly 5 million Taiwanese visit China each year, it would make sense to expect 10,000 Chinese tourists a day.
While Chen would not have a chance to visit central and southern Taiwan on his five-day visit, Wang said he hoped that Chen would be able to do so the next time around.
The Thai government on Friday announced that Taiwanese would be allowed to stay in the country for up to 60 days per entry, under the Southeast Asian country’s visa-free program starting from today. Taiwan is among 93 countries included in the Thai visa-waiver program, which has been expanded from 57 countries, with the visa-exempt entry extended from 30 to 60 days. After taking office last year, Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has vowed to grant more visa waivers to foreign travelers as part of efforts to stimulate tourism. The expanded visa-waiver program was on Friday signed by Thai Minister of the Interior Anutin
BAIL APPEALS: The former vice premier was ordered to be held incommunicado despite twice being granted bail and paying a total of NT$12 million in bond The Taoyuan District Court yesterday ordered the detention of former vice premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who is being investigated for alleged corruption while serving as Taoyuan mayor from December 2014 to December 2022, and that he be held incommunicado. The court made the ruling during a bail hearing after prosecutors appealed its bail ruling twice. Cheng on Saturday was released after posting bail of NT$5 million (US$153,818). However, after prosecutors lodged an appeal, the High Court on Monday revoked the original ruling and ordered the Taoyuan District Court to hold another bail hearing. On Tuesday, the district court granted bail to Cheng a second
PEACE AND SECURITY: China’s military ambitions present ‘the greatest strategic challenge to Japan and the world, Japan’s annual defense white paper said yesterday Japan yesterday warned that China risked escalating tensions with Taiwan with an increase in military exercises that appeared aimed in part at readying Beijing’s forces for a possible invasion. Japan’s annual assessment of security threats, including those posed by China, North Korea and Russia, comes as Taiwan closely monitors Chinese People’s Liberation Army air and sea exercises, including one with the Shandong aircraft carrier in the Pacific Ocean. The drills are the latest in a series including maneuvers in the Taiwan Strait last year that a senior US general said would be key to any invasion. “Because of that increase in military activity,
HAN KUANG: The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers said The armed forces would for the first time test new rules of engagement (ROE) at this month’s annual Han Kuang exercises, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said yesterday. The exercises, which are to run from July 22 to 26, will feature unscripted war games, and a decentralized command and control structure, military officers told a news conference in Taipei. ROE cards would be issued to select combat troops to test their ability to function without tight control, they said. The most recent edition of the rules was published last year, they said. One of the cards’ two templates identifies enemy targets that soldiers