The two sides of the Taiwan Strait should strengthen mutual judicial assistance after the opening of the "small three links," a senior cross-strait affairs official said yesterday.
Lin Chong-pin (
In line with the Offshore Islands Development Act passed by the legislature earlier this year, the government is scheduled Jan. 1 to formally open direct trade, mail and shipping links between its defense outposts of Kinmen and Matsu, and China's Xiamen and Fuzhou ports, commonly known as the small three links, on a trial basis for one year.
Some people are worried that the opening of direct exchanges of people and goods between the two front-line islands and China may invite problems in legal order on both sides and a rise in the crime rate.
Responding to such worries, Lin said judicial organizations on the two sides of the Taiwan Strait should reinforce mutual assistance and join forces to crack down on crime to ensure a smooth opening of the small three links.
Noting that the success of the small three links hinges on security management and safeguarding law and order, Lin said the Taiwan government looks forward to forging systematic consultative channels with China to facilitate orderly cross-strait exchanges and better protect the rights and interests of the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.
Lin said the Ministry of National Defense, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the National Coast Guard Administration and other relevant government agencies have completed various security measures to curb possible illegal entry and exit, as well as smuggling and illegal transshipment of goods between Taiwan proper and China following the opening of the small three links.
Meanwhile, Lin said he regretted Legislator Chen Ching-pao's (陳清寶) decision to suspend a planned trial voyage, originally set for Dec. 26, between Kinmen and Xiamen before the formal opening of the links with a view to testing the safety of the new route. Chen was forced to cancel the plan mainly because of pressure from Beijing.
Lin called on China to adopt a pragmatic, positive manner to deal with cross-strait engagement to help foster mutual trust and rapprochement.
He further stressed that the government has no intention of promoting full-fledged direct cross-strait trade, mail and transport links, known as the "three links," by opening the small three links.
Nevertheless, Lin said he is convinced that the experience from implementing the small three links will be helpful to planning an orderly opening of the three links.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary