The heads of cross-strait affairs in Taiwan and China had a conversation yesterday via a newly installed telephone hotline connecting the two sides of the Strait, during which they discussed recent developments in cross-strait relations, following rumors that the Chinese side has refused to answer calls since the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections.
During the conversation, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Andrew Hsia (夏立言) and China’s Taiwan Affairs Office Minister Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) exchanged Lunar New Year greetings.
It was the first time Hsia and Zhang used the hotline since the Jan. 16 elections, in which president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidency and the party gained a legislative majority.
Hsia told Zhang that peaceful and stable development of cross-strait ties is the hope of people across party lines in Taiwan, and that both sides of the Strait should maintain and cherish the achievements made so far, a statement issued by the council said.
Expanding and deepening cross-strait engagement would help improve mutual trust and understanding, Hsia said, adding that both sides should avoid actions that could escalate tensions, but instead promote a healthy relationship.
The conversation came one day after Zhang issued a Lunar New Year message in which he lauded the achievements in the development of cross-strait ties and expressed hope that the two sides would continue to work together to maintain peace across the strait in the coming year, basing their efforts on the so-called “1992 consensus,” a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means. Former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up the term in 2000.
The DPP has refused to recognize the existence of any such consensus.
There have been concerns that relations across the Taiwan Strait would deteriorate under Tsai’s administration, since the DPP is known for its pro-Taiwan independence stance.
Tsai, without using the term “1992 consensus,” has said that she “understands and respects” the “historic fact” that Taiwan and China “reached some common acknowledgments and understanding in 1992.”
In an interview with the Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) late last month, Tsai said the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would need to work hard to build a “consistent, predictable and sustainable” relationship.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we