President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) canceled all public events yesterday to prepare for the debate on an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) tomorrow.
Ma has been spending several hours each day discussing issues related to the debate with his aides in preparation for the debate, and tomorrow will stress the importance and necessity of signing an ECFA with China, Presidential Office Spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said.
Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) has organized a team of academics, industry representatives and officials to help Ma prepare for the debate.
Lo and former Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) are responsible for drafting questions and answers to simulate the debate.
Lo yesterday said Ma had been promoting the government’s plan to sign an ECFA with China for more than a year, and he would present a comprehensive case on the importance of an ECFA from the perspective of international and cross-strait economic development.
Ma will not avoid discussing the negative impacts of an ECFA during the debate, Lo said, and will address the challenges Taiwan will face after signing the economic pact.
The Presidential Office had originally wanted the two to have a “dialogue,” but later agreed to debate issues related to an ECFA after the DPP insisted on holding a debate on the controversial cross-strait pact.
Hong Kong singer Andy Lau’s (劉德華) concert in Taipei tonight has been cancelled due to Typhoon Kong-rei and is to be held at noon on Saturday instead, the concert organizer SuperDome said in a statement this afternoon. Tonight’s concert at Taipei Arena was to be the first of four consecutive nightly performances by Lau in Taipei, but it was called off at the request of Taipei Metro, the operator of the venue, due to the weather, said the organizer. Taipei Metro said the concert was cancelled out of consideration for the audience’s safety. The decision disappointed a number of Lau’s fans who had
Commuters in Taipei picked their way through debris and navigated disrupted transit schedules this morning on their way to work and school, as the city was still working to clear the streets in the aftermath of Typhoon Kong-rey. By 11pm yesterday, there were estimated 2,000 trees down in the city, as well as 390 reports of infrastructure damage, 318 reports of building damage and 307 reports of fallen signs, the Taipei Public Works Department said. Workers were mobilized late last night to clear the debris as soon as possible, the department said. However, as of this morning, many people were leaving messages
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
A Canadian dental assistant was recently indicted by prosecutors after she was caught in August trying to smuggle 32kg of marijuana into Taiwan, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was arrested on Aug. 4 after arriving on a flight to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Chang Tsung-lung (張驄瀧), a squad chief in the Aviation Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division, told reporters. Customs officials noticed irregularities when the woman’s two suitcases passed through X-ray baggage scanners, Chang said. Upon searching them, officers discovered 32.61kg of marijuana, which local media outlets estimated to have a market value of more than NT$50 million (US$1.56
RSS