Chairman, Mainland Affairs Council Shin-yuan Lai of Taiwan
Lai said she had no idea how foreigners would interpret the term “Chinese Taipei,” but that the term had been used on many occasions.
Lai was invited to brief the caucus about the Straits Exchange Foundation’s (SEF) resumption of talks with its counterpart, China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS.
A self-described pragmatist and outspoken pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union lawmaker, Lai said she has never seen politics in hues of either blue or green.
Ma has vowed to establish direct, cross-strait weekend charter flights and tourism links in the summer, a promise that Lai said Friday was "realistic.
As Ma's appointee to the council, Lai is at the center of virtually his entire China-related platform.
Lai is a former lawmaker from the pro-independent Taiwan Solidarity Union.
Lai is not just a turncoat; she is a TSU traitor,â Kuan charged.
Lai is known for her critical positions toward China and had held a number of protests against what she alleged as China's dumping of substandard goods in Taiwan.
Shin-Yuan Lai is an expert on foreign policy and trade relations.
As a former Legislator representing Taiwans pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) party, Lai was initially viewed as a controversial choice to lead the MAC under a KMT administration but her accumulated experience and exposure to both the blue and green political camps gives her unique insight into issues such as a justification for the import ban on products from China.
Chairperson Lai said the MAC is willing to help work out the problem of the lengthy visa application process for business visitors to Taiwan from Mainland China.
The appointment of Ms Lai is striking because her politics appear to be at odds with those of the incoming president, Mr Ma, who has promised to boost cross-Strait economic ties and whose party, the Kuomintang (KMT), is far more acceptable to the mainland Chinese government than was the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of the departing president, Chen Shui-bian.
Huang and Lai said that 116 cases of the cholera vibrio virus were reported in China last month, but that inspections for the highly sought-after hairy crab, also called Shanghai crab, have not been initiated this year.
Lai has been an outspoken advocate of strengthening Taiwans sovereignty, though she has not backed formal independence for the island of 23 million people.
Following her appointment Monday, Lai said she supports Mas platform of seeking neither unification nor formal independence.
and safeguarding interests of the Chinese on the island.
Addressing a general meeting of the Arbitration Association of the Republic of China, Lai said that setting up trade mediation and arbitration organisations across the Taiwan Strait will be one of the key issues on the agenda of the next, or third, round of dialogue between Taiwan and China.
Addressing reporters in Taipei, Lai said a mechanism to exchange Chinese yuan for New Taiwan dollars needs to be in place soon to deal with the expected tourist inflow.
Lai said she would seek to widen cross-strait exchanges while protecting Taiwanese nationals working or living on the mainland and safeguarding interests of the Chinese on the island.
Lai said that she would continue to fight for the disadvantaged during her tenure as MAC chairwoman.
Lai said the current cross-strait issue is not about whether to open up to China, but setting contingency plans to avoid any negative impact that the warming relationship with China might have.
Huang said that Lai was surprised at Ma’s offer but decided to join the KMT administration as a TSU member.
Lai said she agreed with Ma’s theory of “no unification, no independence and no military force” and concurred that the status quo of the Republic of China must be maintained.
Lai said while it was necessary to further ease restrictions on cross-strait trade, the government must minimize the negative impact.
When asked about the concerns over her appointment, Lai said that it was indeed a challenge and she would like to call on her opponents to judge her by her performance.
Regarding how the Mainland Affairs Council should cooperate with the Straits Exchange Foundation, Lai said they would each perform their individual duties under the legal framework.
As for Ma’s pledge to materialize weekend charter flights by July, Lai said that she was confident she could reach the goal but emphasized that it would also hinge on goodwill from Beijing.
During the meeting, Minister Lai expressed four key points to ARATS Chairman Chen.
Minister Lai expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the second Chiang-Chen Talks.
Minister Lai expressed the belief that, by appropriately handling this specific incident, the two sides could gradually nurture a climate of "mutuality.
Minister Lai expressed hope that cross-strait interactions could develop in the same spirit as "Cape No.
Lai said she believed the targeted opening of weekend charter flights across the Strait in July -- the first test of improved ties -- would be achieved.
Asked to comment on the rise of the island's giant neighbour, Lai said China was an emerging power on the world arena not just in Asia.
Lai said the cabinet approved the amendments under the consideration of anti-discrimination and protection of basic working rights for the Chinese spouses.