The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) took the first step toward the formulation of its cross-strait policy as its nine-member China Affairs Committee held its first meeting yesterday in the face of mounting cross-strait challenges.
“Almost every member of the committee agreed that the DPP’s core values have withstood the test of time and changing political situation. Discussions over strategic options and substantial policies are what this committee has to accomplish in the future,” committee spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) told a press conference.
The two-hour meeting gathered all the committee members, namely committee convener and DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), former DPP chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Greater Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), former premier Yu Shyi-kun, DPP legislative caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘), Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), former National Security Council secretary-general Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) and former DPP secretary--general Wu Nai-jen (吳乃仁).
Photo: Lo Pei-Der, Taipei Times
Chen Ming-tung (陳明通), a National Taiwan University professor who served as Mainland Affairs Council chairman under the DPP administration, gave the keynote speech, “Taiwan’s China agenda.”
In it, he highlighted a “Taiwan Dream” based on the Taiwanese people’s high degree of consensus on sovereignty, security, human rights and economic benefits, Cheng quoted Chen as saying.
Underlining the hierarchy of the DPP’s cross-strait policy, Chiou said the party should be able to assess its basic position, strategic options and policymaking to counter persistent challenges from Beijing, Cheng said.
Former premiers Yu and Hsieh, who hold very different attitudes toward China, both laid out their main ideas in the meeting, with Yu saying that he would support any policy as long as it does not harm national interests and does not violate the DPP’s Resolution on Taiwan’s Future (台灣前途決議文) and its Normal Country Resolution (正常國家決議文).
Hsieh, who did not join the committee until this week, played down the differences between his moderate China policy and other members’ more hawkish positions, saying that the only difference between them could be his initiative of “constitutions with different interpretations (憲法各表).”
While the spokesperson said the atmosphere of the meeting was generally convivial, a DPP member who was at the meeting said on condition of anonymity that Chiou argued with Hsieh about the DPP’s attitude to the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution.
Chiou said the DPP does not accept the ROC Constitution in its entirety, while Hsieh believed the opposite, the source said.
The committee’s second meeting is scheduled for July 11, DPP Department of China Affairs director Honigmann Hong (洪財隆) said, adding that the meetings would be held every two months.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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