President Chen Shui-bian (
Chen made the remarks when giving a lecture at the Ketagelan School, a political academy founded by Chen in March 2003.
According to lecture attendees who responded to media queries after the lecture, the president said that opposition party leaders must not overstep their bounds nor make any promises with the other side of the Strait on issues unless they are consistent with national policies or agreements reached by the nation's governing and opposition parties.
The remarks came as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (
Lien is scheduled to leave for China on Tuesday and meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao (
According to the KMT's itinerary, Lien will visit Xian, deliver a speech at Peking University and meet with Taiwanese businesspeople in Shanghai before returning to Taipei on May 3.
Soong has also accepted Hu's invitation to visit China. A mission led by PFP Secretary-General Chin Chin-sheng (
Chen and Lien will speak by telephone tomorrow afternoon regarding Lien's trip to China on Tuesday.
Presidential Office Secretary-General Yu Shyi-kun on Thursday relayed the president's stance to the KMT, saying that the president would support Lien's China trip if it was premised on upholding the nation's interests and putting Taiwan and China on an equal footing.
Meanwhile, a day after she called on Lien and Soong to demand that Beijing fly the Republic of China's (ROC) national flag during their visits in China, Vice President Annette Lu (
"Lien was once ambassador to El Salvador and is somebody who attaches importance to diplomatic affairs," Lu said, referring to Lien's government post as the nation's representative to El Salvador from 1975-1976. "If Lien is really determined to safeguard the ROC's national integrity, he should do it while in Beijing."
"The other side of the Strait is the only country in the whole world who wants to wipe out the ROC's existence," Lu added, "it would be a great deed if [Lien] would safeguard the ROC while setting foot on the other side of the Strait; better yet if he could further the ROC's diplomatic relations by turning a country that's against us into our diplomatic ally."
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
Tropical Storm Usagi strengthened to a typhoon this morning and remains on track to brush past southeastern Taiwan between Friday and Sunday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The storm, which as of 8am was still 1,100km southeast of southern Taiwan, is currently expected to enter the Bashi Channel and then turn north, moving into waters southeast of Taiwan, the CWA said. Because of its rapid speed — 28kph as of 8am — a sea warning for the storm could be issued tonight, rather than tomorrow, as previously forecast, the CWA said. In terms of its impact, Usagi is to bring scattered or
An orange gas cloud that leaked from a waste management plant yesterday morning in Taoyuan’s Guanyin District (觀音) was likely caused by acidic waste, authorities said, adding that it posed no immediate harm. The leak occurred at a plant in the district’s Environmental Science and Technology Park at about 7am, the Taoyuan Fire Department said. Firefighters discovered a cloud of unidentified orange gas leaking from a waste tank when they arrived on the site, it said, adding that they put on Level A chemical protection before entering the building. After finding there was no continuous leak, the department worked with the city’s Department
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