China's continued adherence to the May 17 Statement only serves to put limitations on the "normal development" of cross-strait relations, the Mainland Affairs Council said in response to a series of remarks recently coming out of China.
Vice Chairman Johnnason Liu (劉德勳) yesterday made a three-point response to recent remarks made by Wang Zaixi (王在希), vice minister of China's Taiwan Affairs Office office spokesman Li Weiyi (李維一) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait.
"Resuming dialogue is the most urgent task both sides face right now, and the council has already said on several occasions that we are willing to engage in negotiations with no political preconditions to discuss concerns held in common by both sides," Liu said yesterday.
During a press conference on Nov 17, Li rebuffed President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) proposal, issued during his National Security Meeting ten-point statement, to use the "Hong Kong model" to immediately initiate discussions on Lunar New Year charter flights.
Li said Taiwan's adherence to "one country on each side of the Taiwan Strait" stood in the way of negotiations and further called on Taiwan to recognize the so-called "1992 Consensus" and the "one China" principle.
"Judging from the remarks made by Chinese officials lately, we feel that China continues to employ the political stance expressed in its May 17 Statement and aims to limit the normal development of relations unilaterally," Liu said, adding that China's criticisms of Taiwan were "unreasonable."
"The development of cross-strait relations depends on a concerted effort from both sides of the Strait," Liu also said, reiterating that cross-strait peace was a responsibility of both Taiwan and China.
Liu said that despite the goodwill that Chen had extended in his inauguration speech, his National Day Speech and his National Security Meeting statement, China had failed to give a complete or positive response on each occasion.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS