To improve ties between the Legislative Yuan and Hong Kong’s Legislative Council and deepening civic democratic exchanges. New Power Party (NPP) Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) has proposed founding a Taiwan-Hong Kong group in the legislature
Huang extended an invitation to all legislators regardless of party affiliation.
Huang also invited Hong Kong Legislator Raymond Chan Chi-chuen (陳志全), Demosisto Party Legislator Nathan Law (羅冠聰) and Demosisto Secretary-General Joshua Wong (黃之鋒), and other “Umbrella movement” activists to attend the founding of the group on Monday.
The invitation prompted concerns for the Hong Kong invitees’ safety, as Wong was confronted by pro-unification activists when visiting Taipei in January.
NPP Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Chen Hui-min (陳惠敏) said the invitationshave been sent, but the NPP has not been able to confirm who will be attending.
“Our friends in Hong Kong are not just friends with the NPP, but friends with all Taiwanese,” Chen said.
Issues expected to be discussed at the meeting include youth, land and same-sex marriage in Taiwan and Hong Kong, she added.
As it is fast approaching the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China, how the Chinese factor influences Taiwan and Hong Kong is also an issue to be discussed, Chen said.
The possibility of establishing a standing organization in the Legislative Yuan and the Legislative Council so lawmakers could have more practical interaction is to be mulled, Chen said.
Aside from all five NPP members, at least 15 Democratic Progressive Party members are expected at Monday’s event, Chen said, adding that so far no Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members have signed up.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
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