In response to China’s insistence on recognition of “one China” as a precondition for entry into the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday reiterated the party’s stance on defending Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“This is an issue that crops up whenever we attempt to join any international organization or institution,” Tsai said in response to reporters’ requests for comments on China’s requirements for Taiwan’s participation in the AIIB. “We will find ways to maximize our national interests while defending our position when seeking to enter international organizations.”
Former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) expressed Taiwan’s interest in joining the proposed AIIB during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) at the opening of the Boao Forum for Asia in China’s Hainan Province on Saturday.
Later, during a news conference, Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) said that China would welcome Taiwan’s participation in the AIIB, but that Taiwan must recognize the “one China” principle, adding that Taiwan and Hong Kong need to have further talks with China on the details — which many have taken as a hint that Taiwan would receive the same treatment as Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Tsai yesterday rejected the notion that a visit to the US by DPP Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳昭燮) was related to her own planned visit.
“Wu’s trip to the US was planned a long time ago. It is just a regular visit, since he was our former representative to the US,” Tsai said. “He will be exchanging views with the US on issues of mutual concern.”
As for her own trip to the US, Tsai said the party is still working out the details, including the exact date.
Separately yesterday, speaking at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport before boarding a flight for the US in the afternoon, Wu echoed Tsai in saying that his trip was a routine visit to the US, adding that he would be meeting with Taiwanese expatriate communities to garner their support for the DPP, as well as some friends in the US.
He declined to be specific about who the friends are.
“I will be meeting with friends in the US — whether in US Congress or at think tanks — to exchange ideas on current issues,” Wu said. “However, in the interest of mutual trust, I am not at liberty to discuss who I meet with and what we talk about.”
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it is fully aware of the situation following reports that the son of ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai (薄熙來) has arrived in Taiwan and is to marry a Taiwanese. Local media reported that Bo Guagua (薄瓜瓜), son of the former member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, is to marry the granddaughter of Luodong Poh-Ai Hospital founder Hsu Wen-cheng (許文政). The pair met when studying abroad and arranged to get married this year, with the wedding breakfast to be held at The One holiday resort in Hsinchu
The Taipei Zoo on Saturday said it would pursue legal action against a man who was filmed climbing over a railing to tease and feed spotted hyenas in their enclosure earlier that day. In videos uploaded to social media on Saturday, a man can be seen climbing over a protective railing and approaching a ledge above the zoo’s spotted hyena enclosure, before dropping unidentified objects down to two of the animals. The Taipei Zoo in a statement said the man’s actions were “extremely inappropriate and even illegal.” In addition to monitoring the hyenas’ health, the zoo would collect evidence provided by the public
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
A road safety advocacy group yesterday called for reforms to the driver licensing and retraining system after a pedestrian was killed and 15 other people were injured in a two-bus collision in Taipei. “Taiwan’s driver’s licenses are among the easiest to obtain in the world, and there is no mandatory retraining system for drivers,” Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance, a group pushing to reduce pedestrian fatalities, said in a news release. Under the regulations, people who have held a standard car driver’s license for two years and have completed a driver training course are eligible to take a test