President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said the fact that former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰) could represent him at this year’s APEC Forum in Peru later this month was a goodwill gesture extended by Beijing and that he would like to see such a model become a norm in Taiwan’s participation in international affairs.
“It will only benefit cross-strait relations if both sides extend goodwill to each other,” Ma said.
He said it was beneficial to both cross-strait relations and the country’s participation in international organizations that Lien could attend the leaders summit.
PHOTO: AP
“To participate in international organizations and enjoy dignity in the international community is a way for Taiwanese people to feel a sense of honor,” he said.
Among those international organizations was the WHO, Ma said.
Ma also proposed that Taiwan negotiate free-trade questions under the framework of APEC. However, Ma said that he realized the task would be difficult.
Ma made the remarks while receiving Lien and the APEC delegation at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon.
The informal economic leaders’ meeting will take place in Lima from Nov. 21 through Nov. 23. Scheduled to speak at the summit are Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤).
While China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said that whether Hu and Lien would meet during the summit was subject to negotiation, a senior Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) official, who asked to remain anonymous, yesterday said the council was not involved in the negotiation process.
Ma yesterday said he hoped Lien could take the opportunity to promote Taiwan’s contribution to the global economy and regional peace. Taiwan will from now on play the role of a peacemaker in the region and with the easing of cross-strait tensions, relationships with other countries will improve and mutual trust will be enhanced, Ma said.
Since Taiwan and China joined APEC in 1991, Beijing has blocked Taipei’s presidents and foreign ministers from attending the group’s forums, citing a memorandum of understanding signed with China and Hong Kong before Taipei joined the group under the name “Chinese Taipei.” Under this the three economies entered the organization as a single economic entity.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
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
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
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,
RSS