News

DPP demonstration set for Sunday in Taichung

Wednesday, 16 December 2009 07:33 Taipei Times

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) demonstration against the government’s China-leaning economic policies will be held on Sunday in Taichung starting at 2:30pm, the party announced yesterday, urging the public to join the protest.

The protest will be held on the eve of the fourth meeting between Taiwan’s Straits Exchange (SEF) Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and his Chinese counterpart, Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), head of Beijing’s Association on Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS).

‘Decades’ to unification, Ma’s aides say

Wednesday, 16 December 2009 07:30 Taipei Times

It will take “decades” for Taiwan and China to consider unification as the conditions are not currently ripe, the Presidential Office said yesterday, dismissing a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report that quoted President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) as saying that it will happen “in the next decade.”

Paul Chang (張國葆), the acting director-general of the Department of Public Affairs, said the paper misquoted Ma in an interview published online on Monday, adding that Ma was “stunned” when he saw the report and immediately asked him to straighten things out.

Ma encounters protest at Longshan Temple

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 07:34 Taipei Times

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was heckled in Taipei's Wanhua District (萬華) yesterday when he attended a ceremony marking the 270th anniversary of the establishment of Longshan Temple (龍山寺).

About 30 protesters shouted “Ma Ying-gao, step down” (gao means “dog” in Taiwanese) outside the temple. The temple was closed yesterday morning because of Ma's visit. While the president left at around 11am, the temple was not open to the public until 1:30pm.

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 15 December 2009 07:43 ) Read more...

SEF chief calls for ‘open minds’

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 07:24 Taipei Times

Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) yesterday urged the public to look at the upcoming cross-strait talks with an open mind, adding that he would conduct all negotiations under the principle that Taiwan is the focus and that the interests of the public come first.

Chiang said he hoped the Chinese people and the international community would see Taiwan’s democracy and rationality during exchanges between the SEF and its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS).

Taiwanese students join protests in Copenhagen

Monday, 14 December 2009 08:09 Taipei Times

About 30 Taiwanese university students joined thousands of protesters on the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, on Saturday to demand that world leaders take stronger action to fight climate change.

Some of the Taiwanese were dressed as the endangered Formosan black bear, while others wore cardboard cutouts depicting Taipei 101 with a ring-shaped life preserver to show that Taiwan is under threat of rising sea levels.

US readying arms sale: magazine

Monday, 14 December 2009 08:06 Taipei Times

Foreign Policy magazine says that US President Barack Obama “is getting ready” to announce an arms sales package to Taiwan that will include Black Hawk helicopters and Patriot missile batteries.

“Taiwanese sources now say they expect the decision shortly after Obama returns from the climate-change conference,” the magazine said.

Poll highlights fears of ECFA with China

Monday, 14 December 2009 08:04 Taipei Times

A majority of respondents in a poll released by Taiwan Thinktank yesterday agreed that the government should slow the pace of signing an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China and postpone next week’s fourth round of high-level cross-strait talks before a higher degree of public consensus is reached.

The survey showed that 62.5 percent of respondents agreed that “the December [5] election results showed that many people in Taiwan still have doubts about an EFCA plan and thus the [President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九)] administration should put off signing the deal with China and rather seek consensus within the country.”

More Articles...