Economist Honigmann Hong (洪財隆) was appointed director of the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Department of China Affairs as DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) filled the last three remaining spots of department heads.
Hong, an assistant economics professor at National Tsing Hua University, will take over the Department of China Affairs, which was reinstated on July 25 after being merged with the Department of International Affairs for five years, DPP spokesperson Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) told a press conference.
Su, who finally completed his political team roster after assuming the party’s leadership in May, picked Hong, 46, for his expertise in regional economics, a key issue in cross-strait relations, Lin said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
The reinstatement of the department and a plan to establish a China Affairs Committee as a policy-making platform have been seen as attempts to improve the DPP’s ties with Beijing.
The establishment of the much-discussed committee, which is expected to oversee the DPP’s China policy, is still in the works. Former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) was reportedly interested in leading it.
Additionally, Chang Chi-chang (張基長), a Su confidant, was named director of the Department of Youth Development, while Ho Po-wen (何博文), a journalist-turned-political commentator, was tapped as director of the Democracy Institute, Lin said.
In related news, Su convened a meeting to discuss the party’s position and strategy on a proposed cross-strait investment protection agreement, which could be finalized in an eighth round of cross-strait negotiations on Thursday.
The meeting, which gathered party officials and more than a dozen legislators to seek a unified position on the issue, concluded with four demands to President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration.
First, the DPP insisted that the agreement must protect the personal safety and basic human rights of Taiwanese businesspeople in China, Lin said, adding that China should notify Taiwan within 24 hours of all cases of Taiwanese being detained and allow detained Taiwanese to hire lawyers.
Second, he said, regulations on Chinese investment in Taiwan should be written into law and government agencies should be established to monitor the investments.
Third, Lin said, cross-strait negotiation should be transparent and monitored by the Legislative Yuan because the opaque negotiation process in the past four years was the primary reason the academics and the legislature were concerned about the bilateral talks.
Last, the DPP urged the government to conduct thorough reviews on the implementation of the 16 agreements signed in the past before moving forward, Lin said.
The implementation of those agreements was questionable because Hon Hai Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) was still complaining about infringement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in China two years after Taiwan and China signed the IPR agreement, Lin said.
Meanwhile, China remains a haven for Taiwanese criminals, despite the Joint Fight against Crime and Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement having gone into effect in June 2009, Lin said.
The DPP has no plans to organize any form of protest against the cross-strait talks, Lin said, but it would not bar its party members from taking part in protests.
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS