The nomenclature that will be used by the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) and China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits when they set up their offices in each other’s territory will not symbolize that Taiwan and China are in a state-to-state relationship, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday.
Wang made the remarks in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) at the legislature.
Earlier last month, Wang said that Taipei and Beijing have exchanged views on the possibility of the association and the foundation setting up offices in their respective territories under the framework of the so-called “1992 consensus,” or what President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has interpreted as “one China, with each side having its own interpretation.”
Asked by Hsiao to explain whether the offices would be defined as overseas missions or as domestic institutions, and what the offices would be characterized as to define the relationship between the two sides, Wang said the office would use the SEF plaque, but that there would also be council officials and officials from other government agencies attending to cross-strait affairs stationed at the office.
The foundation’s office would deal with cross-strait affairs, ranging from economic exchanges and trade issues to people-to-people contacts and emergency disaster relief, Wang said.
He added that while the government hopes the foundation’s office will serve as a consulate to issue travel documents to Chinese citizens, Beijing has not agreed to the proposal.
China is concerned that having the foundation’s office issue travel documents could create a “misunderstanding” that Taiwan and China are in a state-to-state relationship, he said.
“We are still in talks with the mainland side [China],” Wang said.
Wang said the details governing the arrangement would be presented to the legislature for review next month at the earliest.
Meanwhile, in response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ting Shou-chung (丁守中), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) said that the time for Taiwan to negotiate a peace accord with China was not ripe, because China always places such a treaty under the “one China” framework and it has sent different messages as to whether it allows for Taiwan’s interpretation of “one China” as the “Republic of China.”
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated
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