News of the Week (April 26-May 2, 2007)

News of the Week

April 26-May 2, 2007

1.The Beijing Olympic Committee announced the route for the Olympic torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics April 26th, which would take Olympic torch from Ho Chih Minh City, Vietnam to Taipei, and then to Hong Kong. However, Yang Jon-her, Director-General of the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports of the Executive Yuan, and Tsai Chen-wei, head of the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee said in a press conference that: “the route for the torch relay announced by Beijing was an attempt to downgrade Taiwan’s sovereignty, therefore we refuse the Olympic torch’s arrival in Taiwan.” This has set the first example in Olympic history that a member has refused the Olympic torch entry into its territory. An opinion poll conducted by the China Times shows that half of people surveyed favor the Olympic torch coming to Taiwan while 16% do not and 35% have no opinion. Seven tenths of the people surveyed favor Taiwan participation in the 2008 Olympics and over half say that they are not worried about Taiwan’s status being downgraded by China in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

2.The third Cross-Strait Economic, Trade and Cultural Forum closed on April 29th. At the end of the forum, the Mainland China side announced the latest opening-up policies directed toward Taiwan. They included welcoming Taiwan universities to recruit mainland students; increasing the number of Chinese cities that can issue visas for Taiwanese people; opening 15 categories of special and technicianal exam qualifications; allowing Taiwan students to study at civil aviation schools in mainland China; opening six direct charter flight points including Chendu; and allowing Taiwanese airlines to set up offices or representative offices on the mainland.

3.The Taiwan government said comments made by Shao Qiwei, director of Mainland China’s National Tourism Administration, that mainland Chinese traveling to Taiwan were not a traveling between countries were unacceptable, and would only form a political barriers for mainland tourists to travel to Taiwan. The media reported that during cross-Strait tourism consultations mainland representatives proposed a draft entitled “Agreement on the Implementation of Proposals of Mainland People Traveling to Taiwan”, which in its wording downgraded Taiwan’s status to that of Hong Kong and Macao several times. The Taiwan side requested that in the agreement the two sides be referred to as “China and Taiwan” to emphasize an equal status. However, this was not accepted by the mainland.

4.President Chen Shui-bian has announced a plan to commute the sentences of convicted prisoners because this year is the 60th anniversary of the 228 Incident and the 20th anniversary of the lifting of martial law. However, those convicted of four categories of crimes including violent crimes, crimes that endanger social interest and public order and corruption will be excluded. It is estimated that the Presidential amnesty will favor roughly 25,000 criminals. However, many people including rank and file policemen have stated their objection to the government’s move.

5.The Council of Labor Affairs of the Executive Yuan passed the Minimum Wage Adjustment Bill on April 27th. An increase to minimum wage by between 7.5% and 9.5% will be implemented starting July 1st. The minimum hourly wage will be boosted to above NT$ 90 per hour from NT$ 66 per hour, a 40 % hike. The media reported that the minimum wage adjustments have caused dissatisfaction among businesses, who argue that will adversely affect a section of businesses which will cause more unemployment. The Executive Yuan ruled that the adjustment to the minimum wage would be postponed to the middle of May until after the results of the DPP presidential primary are know.

6.President Chen announced April 26 that “If the Legislative Yuan is unable to pass the “National Pensions Act” in July this year, the Executive Yuan should introduce a bill to increase pensions for elderly farmers to NT$ 6,000.” Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen was opposed to this proposal, saying that she would not “pay tax” as a boycott.

7.On May 2nd, the KMT Central Standing Committee nominated Ma Ying-jeou as its official Presidential candidate, and will put the nomination up for a formal approval at the Second Plenary of the Seventeenth National Party Congress. After winning his nomination, Ma Ying-jeou held a press conference, in which he outlined his political platform: “Taiwan Must Move Forward－ Strengthening Taiwan, Connecting the Asia-Pacific Region, and Adopting a Global Outlook.” He said that, “If the KMT returns to power, it would lead the whole country to strive for the “economy,” aiming at 6% economic growth each year.

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