Taiwan's top policymaker on China, in comments made yesterday, expressed apprehension about a proposed visit by Kaohsiung mayor and chairman-elect of the DPP Frank Hsieh (
"We have not allowed such visits by mayors and county commissioners. I think he will respect the law," Tsai Ing-wen (
Tsai said the Cabinet had no plans to ease the ban on senior officials, including city mayors, traveling to China.
News of the visit emerged on Monday when an Internet news service reported that Hsieh had received an invitation from Xiamen authorities.
A visit by Hsieh to China would mark a serious breakthrough in high-level contacts between Taiwan and China, as Beijing has refused to establish contacts with high-level DPP officials.
However, apparently fearful that controversy over the visit may derail the plan, Kaohsiung and Xiamen officials have issued divergent statements on whether an invitation was issued to Hsieh in the first place.
A spokesperson for the mayor of Xiamen said: "The possibility of mutual trips is still being reviewed. Xiamen city has not sent any invitation to Frank Hsieh inviting him to visit mainland China," according to the China News Service.
The spokesperson added: "Exchanges between the two cities of Xiamen and Kaohsiung have nothing to do with the DPP."
Frank Hsieh offered a different account.
"Xiamen Mayor Zhu Yayan (朱亞衍) has invited me to visit, but the schedule has not been decided yet," Hsieh said.
The invitation was faxed to the Kaohsiung City Government on Monday, according to the tTimes.
Hsieh said he hoped to visit China before he formally assumes the DPP chairmanship on July 22 and that July 10 was an "appropriate" date.
The Presidential Office welcomed exchanges across the Taiwan Strait, but said Hsieh must apply to the Cabinet for approval for his visit.
Hsieh said he hoped his visit would break the stalemate between Taiwan and China.
"I hope to use `city diplomacy' to break the impasse between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait," Hsieh said yesterday.
"Of course it will be a big breakthrough. This is something that takes courage to do," Hsieh added.
Hsieh vowed to abide by Taiwan law regarding his visit, saying he would make a report to the Executive Yuan soon.
Hsieh said that he would limit the scope of discussions to city-to-city affairs during the visit.
Also, Chinese officials must address him as "mayor" instead of "mister," Hsieh said.
Xiamen had invited him in the capacity of Kaohsiung mayor.
Hsieh wants to present a gift of 10 macaques -- short-tailed monkeys -- to Xiamen. Xiamen will donate two giant pandas to Kaohsiung, press reports said.
There was no immediate confirmation of an invitation from the Xiamen mayor.
According to Hong Kong press reports, inviting Hsieh is in line with Chinese President Jiang Zemin's (
Hsieh was elected DPP chairman last month and made remarks friendly toward China.
According to Hong Kong's Economics Daily News, China probably will arrange for Hsieh to meet with Wang Daohan (
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (
However, Ma responded later yesterday saying he had no plan to visit China at the moment.
Ma said he would not travel to China except in the capacity of Taipei mayor.
Meanwhile, Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
Wang's remark came in the wake of media reports that China's semi-official Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) plans to invite Wang for a visit in the capacity of the speaker of the "Chinese Taiwan" legislature.
China has also invited Taiwan legislators to visit there, while opposition lawmakers try to sideline President Chen Shui-bian's (
ANNOUNCEMENT: People who do not comply with the ban after a spoken warning would be reported to the police, the airport company said on Friday Taoyuan International Airport Corp on Friday announced that riding on vehicles, including scooter-suitcases (also known as “scootcases”), bicycles, scooters and skateboards, is prohibited in the airport’s terminals. Those using such vehicles should manually pull them or place them on luggage trolleys, the company said in a Facebook post. The ban intends to maintain order and protect travelers’ safety, as the airport often sees large crowds of people, it said, adding that it has stepped up publicity for the regulation, and those who do not comply after a spoken warning would be reported to the police. The company yesterday said that
QUIET START: Nearly a week after applications opened, agencies did not announce or promote the program, nor did they explain how it differed from other visitor visas Taiwan has launched a six-month “digital nomad visitor visa” program for foreign nationals from its list of visa-exempt countries who meet financial eligibility criteria and provide proof of work contracts. To apply, foreign nationals must either provide proof that they have obtained a digital nomad visa issued by another country or demonstrate earnings based on age brackets, the Bureau of Consular Affairs said. Applicants aged 20 to 29 must show they earned an annual salary of at least US$20,000 or its equivalent in one of the past two years, while those aged 30 or older must provide proof they earned US$40,000 in
SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS: The suspects formed spy networks and paramilitary groups to kill government officials during a possible Chinese invasion, prosecutors said Prosecutors have indicted seven retired military officers, members of the Rehabilitation Alliance Party, for allegedly obtaining funds from China, and forming paramilitary groups and assassination squads in Taiwan to collaborate with Chinese troops in a possible war. The suspects contravened the National Security Act (國家安全法) by taking photos and drawing maps of key radar stations, missile installations and the American Institute in Taiwan’s headquarters in Taipei, prosecutors said. They allegedly prepared to collaborate with China during a possible invasion of Taiwan, prosecutors said. Retired military officer Chu Hung-i (屈宏義), 62, a Republic of China Army Academy graduate, went to China
UNITY MESSAGE: Rather than focusing on what Trump said on the campaign trail about Taiwan, Taipei should be willing to engage with the US, Pompeo said Taiwan plays a key role in Washington’s model of deterrence against China, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said in a speech in Taipei yesterday. During US president-elect Donald Trump’s first term, “we had developed what we believe was a pretty effective model of deterrence against adversaries who wanted to undermine the set of rules and values that the people of Taiwan and the people of the US hold dear,” Pompeo said at a forum organized by the Formosa Republican Association. “Succeeding in continuing to build this model will not solely rest at the feet of president Trump and his team,
RSS