The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday welcomed a White House statement calling on Beijing to find ways of reaching out to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and his Cabinet, as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) prepared for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
Remarking that Washington has been following developments in the region very closely, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said in a press conference on Wednesday that the US believes diplomacy is the only way to resolve the cross-strait dilemma.
Commenting on Lien's trip to China, McClellan said the White House hopes that "this is the start of Beijing finding new ways to reach out to President Chen and his Cabinet, because a long-term solution can only be found if Beijing negotiates with the duly elected leadership in Taiwan."
MAC Vice Chairman You Ying-lung (
You said China should engage in dialogue with the Taiwanese government as soon as possible so that cross-strait relations can be normalized.
"Governments on both sides of the Taiwan Strait have to be engaged in dialogues and negotiations in order to efficiently resolve issues that only governments have the power to address," You said.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Michel Lu (
"The US encourages both sides to start official talks and hopes that dialogues can bring peace and stability to the Taiwan Strait," Lu said.
The ministry hopes to see positive developments in cross-strait relations, said Lu, adding that political leaders should hold on to the principle of "maintaining national interests" when visiting China.
Taiwan's political party leaders should not break the law while meeting with Chinese leaders, Lu said.
Meanwhile, David Lee (
The WHA, the World Health Organization's (WHO) highest governing body, will take place from May 16 to 25 in Geneva. Taiwan will launch its ninth bid to enter the health body in the assembly. The US, WHO secretariat, Taipei and Beijing are negotiating [about Taiwan's participation in the WHO]. But Taipei and Beijing do not talk to each other directly, the diplomat said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
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