Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice presidential candidate and Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) on Wednesday said he would not talk with China about unification if elected, as there are no conditions for such discussions given the substantial differences between the two sides.
If elected, “I will definitely not engage in discussions with China about unification during my term; and this is also impossible,” Jaw told reporters when asked to respond to a statement by China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson Chen Binhua (陳斌華) earlier on Wednesday.
At a regular news conference in Beijing, Chen said he hoped that Taiwanese would make more frequent statements conducive to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, and engage in actions that enhance mutual trust and understanding.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
Chen made the remarks in response to Jaw’s statement that the KMT does not endorse communism and has never supported the Chinese Communist Party, while further asserting that he “absolutely would not” advocate for negotiations on unification if elected.
Considering the current state of cross-strait relations, it would be a significant breakthrough if both sides reopen communication channels, said Jaw, the running mate of KMT presidential candidate and New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜).
If the two sides resume dialogue and restore visits to Taiwan by Chinese tourists and students, as it had under former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), that would be a favorable development in cross-strait relations, Jaw said.
Speaking in favor of unification is not the only thing that could bring about peace and benefit cross-strait relations, he said.
Moreover, significant differences in political systems and way of life mean that discussing unification is simply not feasible, he added.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about