Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said yesterday that the KMT administration and Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chairwoman Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) are too optimistic on cross-strait relations.
Cheng’s comments came after Lai made a speech to Taiwanese expatriates in New York on Saturday in which she talked about President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) cross-strait policy of “mutual non-denial” and said the signing of an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China would not affect the nation’s sovereignty or touch on independence or unification issues, or any other political prerequisite.
Cheng said that Taiwan does not deny China’s existence, but that Beijing denies Taiwan’s existence and would never change its position. He said the government was able to resume cross-strait talks because it accepts Beijing’s “one-China” principle and does not challenge Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China.
The DPP believes the government’s cross-strait policies are jeopardizing Taiwan’s sovereignty and dignity, he added.
Lai said that the government’s proposed signing of an ECFA with China would not affect Taiwan’s sovereignty. However, Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) has previously said an ECFA could only proceed only under the “one-China” principle and that a cross-strait economic agreement would promote unification, Cheng said.
The DPP urged the government not to avoid these important issues and to stop lying to the public, Cheng added.
During Saturday’s speech, Lai said “Taiwan has no timetable” for starting political talks with China.
She said although cross-strait relations have improved substantially over the past 13 months, that did not mean the two sides have built “mutual trust.”
“Conditions for talks on political issues have not yet matured and we are in no hurry for that to happen,” Lai said.
Lai said officials from both sides have engaged in institutional dialogue via the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) over the past year, which shows that cross-strait relations have evolved from “mutual denial” to “mutual non-denial.”
“It marks a major achievement in cross-strait relations,” she said.
Lai said both sides should adopt a policy of “putting aside their differences” and “mutual non-denial” in order to face the reality across the Taiwan Strait in a pragmatic manner.
On the economy, Lai said exports were Taiwan’s lifeline and the nation has to face up to globalization and the formation of new regional economic blocs. She said Taiwan cannot afford to ignore China’s rise.
Lai said an ECFA is neither an indenture by which Taiwan will sell itself to China nor a panacea for Taiwan’s sagging economy.
“The aim of signing an ECFA with China is to pursue normal business activities with China on an equal footing and devise the basic principles for normalizing cross-strait trade relations,” she said.
However, Lai said that talks on signing an ECFA would not be included on the agenda of the next meeting between SEF Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and ARATS Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), scheduled for the end of the year.
“Cross-strait talks on an ECFA are not expected to begin until next year,” she said.
Lai, who arrived in New York on Friday, is scheduled to visit the National Committee on American Foreign Policy and the National Committee on US-China Relations, two New York-based think tanks, for closed-door meetings. She is also scheduled to deliver a speech on the latest developments in cross-strait relations at the Brookings Institute in Washington.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass