President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Tuesday touted his foreign policy, saying that the rescue efforts of Taipei and Beijing in Haiti were a perfect example that his strategy of “diplomatic truce” with Beijing worked.
Ma made the remarks during his dinner with Taiwanese expatriates at his hotel in San Francisco, where he made a one-night stop-over en route to Honduras to attend the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Porfirio Lobo Sosa.
While China was aggressively involved in the rescue operations in Haiti, Ma said neither Taipei nor Beijing took advantage of the occasion to engage in political games and these efforts had received recognition from international media such as as the Washington Post.
PHOTO: CNA
“Whenever our diplomatic allies encounter problems, we are ready to help,” he said. “Our help does not go to our diplomatic allies only, but to those who need it.”
Ma told the banquet hosts that he would meet “high-ranking” Haitian officials in the Dominican Republic, where he will deliver aid goods. Ma has brought with him 10 tonnes of relief goods, including medical supplies, milk powder, cookies and canned corn. They will be transported by land from the Dominican Republic to Haiti once they arrive.
Ma had said he hoped to meet Haitian President Rene Preval in the Dominican Republic, but emphasized that he realized Preval was preoccupied with relief efforts and that it would be up to the Haitian president to decide whether he has time to meet.
Ma also commended his cross-strait policy, saying it was proceeding at a fair pace, while some were worried it was going too fast.
“It is not that we want it to be super fast,” he said. “But we are making up for the lost eight years.”
Ma said no progress was made during the eight years before he took office, stalling the country's international competitiveness and undermining Taiwan-US relations.
On the other hand, a lot of effort has been made to improve cross-strait ties and defuse possible tensions in the Taiwan Strait, as well as to enhance relations with the US and other allies since he took office in May 2008, Ma said.
At a separate setting, Paul Chang (張國葆), the director of the Presidential Office's Public Affairs Department, quoted American Institute in Taiwan Chairman Raymond Burghardt as saying that Washington would not let the controversy over the US beef imports affect relations with Taiwan.
The treatment Ma received during his transits in San Francisco was a good proof, Chang quoted Burghardt as saying in a dinner banquet hosted by Taiwanese expatriates in San Francisco on Tuesday night.
Chang said Taiwan's Air Force C-130 cargo plane was also recently allowed to land on US soil for refill on a transportation mission to Haiti, adding that it was another proof of sound Taiwan-US relations.
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