China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) ended his five-day visit yesterday morning, reiterating his gratitude to the police while promising Taiwanese “harmonious” trips to China.
“We’ve completed the mission for which people from both sides of the Taiwan Strait had high expectations and entrusted to ARATS and the Straits Exchange Foundation [SEF] during this trip to Taipei,” Chen said in the lobby of the Grand Hotel before leaving for the airport. “I came here five days ago bringing the deep affections of the 1.3 billion Chinese for the 23 million Taiwanese, and today I will leave Taiwan with the understanding and support of the 23 million Taiwanese for the Chinese people.”
Before returning to China, Chen, accompanied by SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), summed up the ARATS delegation’s visit to Taipei this week and repeated his appreciation of the police, hotel staff and reporters.
“For SEF-ARATS meetings and our safety, the police made a lot of sacrifices from dawn to midnight and even bled during the strong protests. I, on behalf of my delegation, thank you again for your hard work,” Chen said, bowing to express his thanks.
While declining to comment on the violent protests against him during the past four days, Chen welcomed Taiwanese to visit China.
“I promise you that your trip to China will be harmonious and smooth,” Chen said.
Chiang yesterday expressed his satisfaction with the results of the five-day negotiations and promised to continue defending Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity during future cross-strait talks.
“The road ahead is still long and the SEF will hold on to a ‘Taiwancentric, people first’ attitude during future negotiations,” Chiang said.
The Chiang-Chen meeting was the second round of cross-strait negotiations between the SEF and ARATS since talks resumed in June after a 10-year hiatus.
On Tuesday, four agreements were signed. Two forums on financial cooperation and shipping issues were also held.
After the farewell ceremony at the hotel, the highest-ranking Chinese official to ever visit Taiwan headed for Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, leaving at 10:13am.
Soon after the black limousines and shuttle buses carrying Chen and the delegates left the hotel, the hundreds of police who have been stationed outside began to remove the barricades and leave.
On Chen’s arrival in Taipei on Monday, a heavy police presence was employed along the route from the airport to the Grand Hotel in Taipei and again yesterday some 2,000 officers were mobilized to police the route and the airport. A number of checkpoints were set up along the route.
A man displaying a Chinese flag on his car on the freeway was blocked by police officers and taken to a police vehicle. He was later released after the delegation had reached the airport.
At the airport, a female passenger who was flying to Los Angeles was removed by officers for shouting “Taiwan independence, Taiwan independence” in the departure hall. No major protests took place.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RICH CHANG
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat