People First Party (PFP) spokesman Hsieh Kung-pin (
During Chen's telephone call with Soong, Hsieh said at a press conference, Soong emphasized multiple times his commitment to the 10-point consensus formulated between him and Chen in February. He added that his commitment to those points would not change or be swayed by the political situation within the nation.
Respect
Hsieh also refused to confirm or deny Chen's remarks that there had been a second, secret Chen-Soong meeting, saying only that the PFP understands and respects Chen's comments.
During their high-profile meeting in February, Chen and Soong formulated a 10-point agreement on cross-strait relations, national defense and ethnic relations that confirmed their mutual support for the institution of the Republic of China.
Since the meeting with Chen, Soong and the PFP have repeatedly referred to the 10-point consensus as the underlying principle on which their stance on cross-strait relations is based, leading to speculation that the relationship between the administration and the nation's third-largest party is friendlier than appearances might suggest.
Yesterday however, the PFP stressed that Soong is heading to China on Thursday only in his capacity as PFP chairman and does not represent the government.
"Our position is clear. We do not represent the [Taiwanese] authorities," Hsieh said.
At the press conference, Hsieh also emphasized that both Soong and the PFP have long supported the so-called "1992 consensus" and that that support will not change.
Given that both Chen and Soong were expressing mutual support for each other's journeys, Hsieh said, Saturday's telephone was not recorded and there was also no purpose in keeping the phone call secret.
Chen left on a trip to visit South Pacific allies on Sunday.
Talks with Beijing
PFP lawmaker Lee Yung-ping (
Lee, also a caucus whip, said Soong and Hu will go into concrete details and set up a cooperation structure to help bolster interaction between Taiwan and China on a wide range of issues when the two meet early this month in Beijing.
Among the many issues on the table will be the question of how China can help Taiwan enter the World Health Organization, she said, adding that the two men will not sign any accord or issue any press communique following their meeting.
The consensus reached between Soong and Hu will be recorded in written form and submitted to the government for reference, she said.
Weather conditions across Taiwan are expected to remain stable today, but cloudy to rainy skies are expected from tomorrow onward due to increasing moisture in the atmosphere, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). Daytime highs today are expected to hit 25-27°C in western Taiwan and 22-24°C in the eastern counties of Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, data on the CWA website indicated. After sunset, temperatures could drop to 16-17°C in most parts of Taiwan. For tomorrow, precipitation is likely in northern Taiwan as a cloud system moves in from China. Daytime temperatures are expected to hover around 25°C, the CWA said. Starting Monday, areas
A Taiwanese software developer has created a generative artificial intelligence (AI) model to help people use AI without exposing sensitive data, project head Huang Chung-hsiao (黃崇校) said yesterday. Huang, a 55-year-old coder leading a US-based team, said that concerns over data privacy and security in popular generative AIs such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek motivated him to develop a personal AI assistant named “Mei.” One of the biggest security flaws with cloud-based algorithms is that users are required to hand over personal information to access the service, giving developers the opportunity to mine user data, he said. For this reason, many government agencies and
The National Fire Agency on Thursday said a series of drills simulating a magnitude 8.5 earthquake would be held in September to enhance the government’s emergency response capabilities. Since earthquakes cannot be predicted, only by continuously promoting disaster prevention measures could Taiwan enhance its resilience to earthquakes, agency Director-General Hsiao Huan-chang (蕭煥章) said in a news release. The exercises would be held to mark annual National Disaster Prevention Day on Sept. 21, the aim of which is to test Taiwan’s preparedness and improve its earthquake resilience in case of a major temblor, Hsiao said. As part of those drills, an earthquake alert would
STRICTER ENFORCEMENT: Taipei authorities warned against drunk cycling after a sharp rise in riding under the influence, urging greater public awareness of its illegality Taipei authorities have issued a public warning urging people not to ride bicycles after consuming alcohol, following a sharp rise in riding under the influence (DUI) cases involving bicycles. Five hundred and seven people were charged with DUI last year while riding YouBikes, personal bicycles, or other self-propelled two-wheelers — a fourfold increase from the previous year, data released by the Taipei Police Department’s Traffic Division showed. Of these, 33 cases were considered severe enough to be prosecuted under “offenses against public safety,” the data showed. Under the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例), bicycles — including YouBikes and other
RSS