Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) officials and pan-green camp academics are to attend a two-day forum on cross-strait relations today, with a senior Chinese official responsible for Taiwan affairs also due to attend.
The party will have its first opportunity to engage in face-to-face communication with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials at the forum in Taipei.
Sun Yafu (孫亞夫), deputy director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), is leading the Chinese delegation, which includes other TAO officials and academics from Chinese government-affiliated think tanks.
The event, organized by the pro-unification Chinese Integration Association (CIA), was originally planned for June, but was canceled due to the government’s refusal to grant entry visas to Chinese participants with ties to Chinese military and security authorities.
The forum is expected to focus on cross-strait relations under China’s new set of leaders, but it could also touch on sensitive bilateral political issues and the military confidence-building measures.
CIA chairman Chang Ya-chung (張亞中), a National Taiwan University (NTU) professor, said that about 200 Taiwanese and 40 Chinese participants will attend the forum, with the Chinese officials participating in a private capacity.
However, Chang said those in Chinese government positions would not speak or make public comments during the forum, with the exception of Sun, who is scheduled to speak at the opening ceremony.
Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), the executive director of the DPP’s Policy Research Committee and the party’s representative to the US, will lead the pan-green camp delegation, which includes NTU professor Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), DPP think tank deputy executive director You Ying-lung (游盈隆), National Chengchi University professor Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) and National Dong Hwa University professor Shih Cheng-feng (施正鋒).
Former National Security Council secretary-general Su Chi (蘇起) will head the pan-blue camp delegation.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
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
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
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,