Chinese President Hu Jintao (
Soong, who was the only candidate in the second PFP chairmanship election, won with 99.19 percent of the 36,563 ballots cast.
In his congratulatory message, Hu expressed the hope that both Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the PFP will continue to work toward promoting the development of cross-strait relations.
Hu last Sunday had also sent a message of congratulations to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on winning the election as the party chairman. Hu in that message, he also urged Ma to "join hands" with the CCP.
Chin Chin-sheng (秦金生), PFP secretary-general, expressed his appreciation on behalf of Soong -- who is on vacation in the US -- in a reciprocal letter, which was later signed by Soong.
Soong said he will continue to dedicate himself to the promotion of cross-strait peace and development as well as the promotion of exchanges and cooperation with China.
Meanwhile, to move forward with the six-point agreement reached between Soong and Hu -- who doubles as CCP's general secretary -- during their meeting in Beijing May 12, the PFP is planning to co-sponsor an economic forum in Shanghai, party officials said yesterday.
They said scholars from both sides of the Taiwan Strait as well as neighboring countries will be invited to attend the forum to discuss issues, including cross-strait free trade zones, prospects for the Asian economic integration and regional cooperation.
If all goes well, Soong could visit China again in September and meet with Chinese leaders. Soong traveled to China in early May on what he called a "bridge-building journey."
China could also send "very high ranking" officials to attend the forum, Soong's aides said.
After Soong's visit to China in May, the PFP decided to form a cross-strait task force to promote cross-strait relations and exchanges, with PFP Vice Chairman Chang Chao-hsiung (張昭雄) serving as convener. There are 13 teams under the task force, and a party agricultural team has visited China several times to promote Taiwanese fruit exports to China.
The aides said that they don't intend to compete with a cross-strait forum planned by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), which is scheduled to take place in Taipei in August, saying that the timing and the theme of the two forums will be different.
They said that initial planning calls for the forum to be made up of business elite will focus on cross-strait financial and regional economic integration.
Soong could stay in Shanghai for a longer time and there will be no other visits, party officials said. To promote channels of communication between the PFP and the CCP, the party could also send a delegation to visit Beijing again to exchange views with Chinese leaders.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS