Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday temporarily obstructed Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) from giving what is likely to be his last policy report to the legislature in protest at the Cabinet’s handling of food safety issues.
The premier eventually delivered his report after a spat between caucuses about how and when Chen should deliver a special report on food safety.
The KMT wanted the premier to make the special report yesterday, while the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) said that the legislature should hold an internal meeting on the issue today and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) proposed Friday.
Photo: CNA
As they could not agree, proceedings defaulted to Chen delivering a general policy address and answering legislators’ questions, as they had agreed on Monday.
Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) called for the premier to deliver the address at 10:27am, but KMT legislators swarmed the podium to block Chen from taking his place, chanting the slogan: “We want food safety for our children; legislative reforms for the truth.”
They were referring to the discovery by Taichung health officials earlier this month of 0.002 parts per million of the banned additive cimbuterol in frozen pork supplied by state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp.
The DPP urged KMT legislators to “cease posturing” and let the proceedings move forward, adding the same call after Han called for a brief 10-minute recess.
Legislators from both parties traded barbs, with KMT lawmakers insisting that Chen issue a public apology, while DPP lawmakers said that Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) of the KMT should do the same.
Chen finally took the podium about 40 minutes after the scheduled start, after Han has asked all legislators to return to their seats, and urging them to maintain order and debate rationally.
In his report, Chen said that the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) over eight years had abided by its promise not to provoke China, adding that Taiwan continues to work with other democratic nations and has proved that it is a trustworthy partner in terms of geopolitics, international supply chains and international law enforcement.
Financially, the government has seen average economic growth rise to 3.2 percent, while average GDP growth went from NT$1.76 trillion (US$55.9 billion) in 2016 to NT$2.3 trillion last year, Chen said, adding that as of the end of last month, the government’s debt burden ratio has dropped to 26:1.
The administration has increased defense spending to a record high of NT$600.7 billion, with multiple ships poised for delivery and the nation’s Indigenous Submarine Building program delivering a prototype of the Hai Kun (海鯤) submarine, which is expected to be delivered to the navy next year, Chen said.
Additional reporting by Hsieh Chun-lin
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