The former administration’s “diplomatic truce” policy belied the nation’s diplomatic predicament as Taiwan continues to face challenges caused by pressure from China, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) said yesterday.
“We were led to believe that there was no diplomatic predicament under the so-called ‘diplomatic truce policy,’ but the predicament remains and we have to face it,” Lin said during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan.
“If our participation in international organizations depends on China’s ‘charity,’ [Taiwan’s international presence] is an illusion,” Lin said in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Wei-cher (黃偉哲) about the government’s foreign policy.
Saying China has suppressed Taiwan’s international space by forcing its exclusion from this year’s International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) assembly in Canada and the UN Climate Change Conference (COP22) in Morocco, Huang asked whether the government is to scale down diplomatic presence as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs prepares to close some embassies and overseas missions.
The ministry’s plan is aimed at a more efficient allocation of the government’s limited resources, not reducing diplomatic operations, Lin said, adding that the nation has to expand its international space by its own means.
The government aims to establish rapport with China on the basis of bilateral goodwill, Lin said, calling on Beijing to act more rationally.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) asked if Lin was to become an “Executive Yuan chief executive officer” under President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) weekly policy coordination mechanism, with Tsai interfering with Lin’s authority.
Chen asked whether Tsai would impose her authority on the premier if there is a disagreement on major issues such as a proposed bill to implement a five-day workweek with a mandatory day off and a flexible “rest day.”
Lin said he would not disagree with the president on major issues because they always reach a consensus through discussions, but he also would not be a mere instrument of the president.
The weekly policy coordination meetings between the president and the Executive Yuan could facilitate policy implementation and allow the Executive Yuan to clarify policies and collect different opinions, Lin said.
In response to legislators saying that proposed legislation for a five-day workweek is aimed at eliminating seven national holidays, Lin said there was no problem of cutting national holidays.
“The legislation has been interpreted as an attempt to reduce holidays by seven days, which is not correct,” the premier said.
“There is no problem of reducing holidays, but the aim is to unify the nation’s various leave schemes,” he said.
Although the government is to cancel some holidays, there will be supportive measures in place such as the five-day workweek and modifications to the annual leave system, so the legislation should not simply be understood as cutting seven holidays, he said.
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,
RSS