President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday praised the Kinmen Agreement signed by Taipei and Beijing 20 years ago for establishing a way to peacefully resolve cross-strait issues, adding that this model continues to be used, as is shown by the signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA).
The Kinmen Agreement was signed by the Red Cross from both sides of the Taiwan Strait on the Kinmen islets on Sept. 12, 1990. Representatives discussed the thorny issue of repatriating criminals, smugglers or fugitives under the spirit of humanity and practicality.
“This was the first time authorities on both sides of the Taiwan Strait openly resolved problems in a peaceful manner,” Ma said in his weekly video address.
“It set the model of cross-strait negotiations: seeking common ground while reserving differences,” he said.
In the video, Ma conversed with Red Cross Society of the Republic of China head C.V. Chen (陳長文) to mark the 20th anniversary of the accord.
Chen said once the main direction of bilateral negotiations was set, the rest was easy.
If there were any difficulties when the two sides inked the 1990 agreement, Chen recalled there were two technical problems both sides needed to iron out.
First was the title of the signatories, he said, and the two sides decided to steer clear of politically sensitive terms such as the Republic of China or People’s Republic of China.
“Had we dwelled on that issue, we would not have accomplished anything,” he said.
Second was the year appearing on the pact, he said. Chen said the two sides decided that Taiwan used the Republic of China calendar year, while China used the Gregorian calendar.
Ma recognized both sides for making efforts to “face reality, shelve disputes and create a win-win scenario.”
He added he was glad that such a model continues to be used today and cited the ECFA as the most recent example.
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 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
FATALITIES: The storm claimed at least two lives — a female passenger in a truck that was struck by a falling tree and a man who was hit by a utility pole Workers cleared fallen trees and shop owners swept up debris yesterday after one of the biggest typhoons to hit the nation in decades claimed at least two lives. Typhoon Kong-rey was packing winds of 184kph when it slammed into eastern Taiwan on Thursday, uprooting trees, triggering floods and landslides, and knocking out power as it swept across the nation. A 56-year-old female foreign national died from her injuries after the small truck she was in was struck by a falling tree on Provincial Highway 14A early on Thursday. The second death was reported at 8pm in Taipei on Thursday after a 48-year-old man
RSS