The Presidential Office last night sought to water down remarks by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) after he blamed China earlier in the day for blocking the nation’s attempt to participate in the UN Framework Conventions on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Speaking to reporters at the Presidential Office during a prize-giving ceremony yesterday morning, Ma, speaking English, said: “We try very hard to participate at least in the events of some specialized agencies of [the] UN. I don’t think the general assembly means too much to us, but if we can make it to, say, the UNFCCC [that would be desirable]. Of course, all this has to be actually in a way clear[ed] by mainland Chinese. They try to block our participation in the international events. But as we improve [our] relationship with them, they seem to be much more, I would say, relaxed in this area.”
Last night, Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said China blocked Taiwan’s participation in the convention, but added that Taiwan’s relationship with China had improved since Ma took office, and that Ma did not say that Beijing’s suppression had resulted in Taiwan being forced to participate via an NGO this year.
The U-turn came a day after Taiwan was prevented from attending a 19-nation breakfast meeting on the last day of the APEC to discuss climate change.
Taiwan was the only APEC member not invited to the breakfast.
Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰), Taiwan’s representative at the APEC meeting, said on Sunday that Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told Taiwanese delegates on Saturday that the other countries used the breakfast meeting to plan for the UNFCCC conference that will take place in Copenhagen next month. Rudd said Taiwan was not invited to join the breakfast meeting because it is not a UN member, Lien said, adding that the meeting was not under the APEC framework.
Lien also said that he was not authorized to address any issues related to the UNFCCC.
Democratic Progressive Party spokesperson Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) said that Taiwan was excluded from participating because of interference, opposition and persecution from the Chinese government.
“The diplomatic truce policy of the Ma administration has become a diplomatic shock,” he said, adding that the administration should defend Taiwan’s authority in a more active and flexible manner.
In other news, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Hou (侯清山) said yesterday he was “very confident” that any potential statement jointly delivered by the US and China would not damage the interests of Taiwan, nor will it exceed the boundaries of promises made by the US government.
“We are aware that the US and China may issue [a joint statement],” Hou said. “Regarding this, we have set up a task force to closely monitor interactions between these two countries.”
Hou also said that the title and formality used to present the statement would be secondary and that the most important thing would be content. The ministry will communicate with the US should the content risk harming the interests of Taiwan, he said.
Hou made the remarks at the Legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee, where lawmakers raised concerns over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ grasp of the implications of US President Barack Obama’s visit to China.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY KO SHU-LING
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.
RSS