Governing and opposition lawmakers yesterday expressed hope that president-elect William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration address would make a breakthrough in cross-strait relations.
The nation’s 16th presidential inauguration is to be held on Monday next week, and it has been reported that the main content of Lai’s address has been finalized, with the domestic affairs component of the speech focused on national solidarity, communication with society, the economy and energy transition.
The address is also reported to continue the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) main policy theme of “our goodwill remains unchanged, our promise remains unchanged” laid out by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) since 2016, which means maintaining peace and the “status quo” across the Taiwan Strait, reiterating the administration’s determination to protect Taiwan, but also expressing its goodwill to China.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
DPP caucus secretary-general Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) said Lai’s inauguration address would be given in a steady tone and respond specifically to the three main themes of his election campaign, which are democracy and peace, innovation and prosperity, and justice and sustainability.
Regarding democracy and peace, Tsai’s policy direction has allowed Taiwan to join the world’s democratic alliance, so Lai would certainly continue Tsai’s cross-strait and international relations policy direction, showing goodwill to China, while stressing cooperation with democratic countries, she said.
Facing China’s increasing pressure on Taiwan, Wu said she expects Lai to make breakthroughs in cross-strait relations.
Lai should use his inaugural address to extend an olive branch to Beijing and ease the “hostile spiral” in cross-strait relations, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus deputy secretary-general Hsu Yu-chen (許宇甄) said yesterday.
“Cross-strait relations are a top priority. Lai should show goodwill and [attempt to] facilitate dialogue” with China, she said.
Hsu said Lai should do more in his speech to ease fears that he would pursue a sharply different approach to cross-strait issues, which she said was a concern of China and the US.
This is especially true given that Lai has previously referred to himself as a “pragmatic worker for Taiwanese independence,” she said.
As a first policy step, Hsu urged Lai to end a COVID-19-era ban on Taiwanese travel agencies organizing group tours to China, to allow cross-strait travel to “return to normal.”
More broadly, Lai should seek “a suitable plan” to gradually resume bilateral contacts between Taipei and Beijing, to ease the “hostile spiral” in the two sides’ relationship and avert a possible war, Hsu said.
Taiwan People’s Party caucus whip Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said that Tsai did not keep her promises of making constitutional, judicial and media reforms.
As Lai said he would follow Tsai’s policy directions, he should address how he would deal with these unfinished reforms in his inauguration address, Huang said.
Also in his address, Lai should clearly elaborate on whether he would push forward constitutional and judicial reforms, and how he would solve the problems of low salaries and high housing costs that young people face, he added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS