Search the Community
Showing results for tags 'taiwan'.
-
BBC NEWS China, Taiwan in direct exchange The leaders of China and Taiwan have exchanged direct messages for the first time in more than 60 years. Chinese President Hu Jintao sent a congratulatory telegram to Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou after his Sunday election to head of the ruling party. Mr Ma responded, suggesting that they had "put aside disputes", a statement from Mr Ma's KMT party said. Mr Ma was elected president last year on pledges to improve ties. The two sides split in 1949 amid civil war. 'Peaceful development' Taiwan's Nationalist Party (KMT) elected Mr Ma as its chairman on Sunday, giving him more control of the island's legislative agenda as well as its China policy. "I hope our two parties can continue to promote peaceful cross-Strait development, deepen mutual trust, bring good news to compatriots on both sides and create a revival of the great Chinese race," said Mr Hu's message. As well as being China's president, Mr Hu is also head of the country's Communist Party. Mr Ma said on Sunday that he had been expecting Mr Hu's telegram because he had received one from him when he was last elected KMT chairman, in 2005. He held the post for two years. Neither man used their presidential titles in their messages; China does not recognise Taiwan as an independent country and so does not recognise its presidency. China and Taiwan have signed trade and travel deals recently, but contacts have always taken place at a lower level than that of president, and have avoided political issues. The improved ties have led to speculation that the two leaders may hold a summit, a prospect Mr Ma has downplayed in the face of the island's anti-China opposition. Although ties have improved in the past year, Beijing has not put aside its territorial claim to Taiwan, insisting the island is a breakaway province of China. Taiwan is self-governing, but holds no seat at the UN and is recognised by only about two dozen states - most of them small Caribbean and Pacific nations. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia...fic/8170128.stm Published: 2009/07/27 10:54:50 GMT © BBC MMIX
-
There is more good news happening in regard to relations between China and Taiwan. While there is a ways to go before there is complete trust, it's looking more and more like they're well on the road. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/...hina/index.html
-
and this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18IMmLaY1TU I keep finding more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TzjR469Z4o Funny story about the first one: I downloaded it years ago, didn't have the video. I listened to it alot, figured it was a duet of two women. But when I looked up the lyrics, couldn't find any mention of two singers. The lower voice sounded a little bit like some of Lan Xinmei's songs, (like in ), so I figured it was her just using different tenors of voice. Then I watch the video and realize it was a man. That guy should be embarrassed...or grow a pair. And to add to Lan Xinmei's hotness: she's actually playing that guitar. (if you watch some later videos, she didn't really age all that well, btw)
-
Taiwan's pro-China opposition were savouring their landslide election win on Sunday, hoping the momentum will carry over to presidential polls in March and lead to closer ties with the mainland. The Kuomintang (KMT) party, who insist that better relations with China will help the island's stuttering economy, crushed the ruling party of President Chen Shui-bian, whose hardline stance on Beijing appeared to turn off voters. Chen stepped down as head of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Saturday after the drubbing at the polls but wasted no time Sunday lashing out at China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory. "China shows no signs that it will ease its military threats, diplomatic suppression and two-handed economic strategy on Taiwan," Chen said before heading on a week-long mission to shore up ties with Guatemala and St Lucia. "China is intensifying its 'dollar diplomacy' attacks on Taiwan and using all means possible to take away our allies. We cannot sit back passively... we have to step out for the international community to see Taiwan." The KMT and its allies captured 86 seats in the 113-member parliament, compared to just 27 for Chen's DPP, setting the stage for the party's presidential front-runner Ma Ying-jeou to succeed Chen in March. After Saturday's landmark win, Ma pledged to "push for a peace accord" with Beijing if elected. China and Taiwan split at the end of a bloody civil war in 1949 between Chiang Kai-shek's nationalists and Mao Zedong's communists. "It is clear that people are yearning for change after eight years of suffering," Ma said. Ma, a former mayor of Taipei, has pledged to allow mainland tourists to visit Taiwan, and hopes to reinstate direct transportation, commerce and postal links that were cut off six decades ago. A win in both the legislative and the presidential polls for the KMT could end years of political gridlock in Taiwan, one of the world's top 20 economies. KMT party leaders including Ma travelled to northern Toliao on Sunday to honour Chiang Ching-kuo, the son of Chiang Kai-shek, who served as Taiwan's president from 1978 until his death 20 years ago, on January 13, 1988. Chen meanwhile headed to Latin America, one of the main battlegrounds for Taiwan and China, which regularly accuse each other of luring allies away with "chequebook diplomacy". Guatemala and St Lucia are two of 24 countries that recognise Taipei rather than Beijing. The timing of his departure early Sunday led some to charge that he is trying to avoid the fallout from his party's crushing defeat at the polls -- a loss Chen described as the "worst setback" in the party's history. The DPP was to meet Monday to choose a new leader, with its presidential candidate Frank Hsieh likely to assume the chairmanship as he tries to reverse the party's fortunes ahead of the March 22 presidential polls. Analysts said that in addition to Chen's uncompromising attitude on Beijing, analysts said, the DPP also suffered at the polls from a series of graft scandals that touched the president's inner circle. Chen's wife Wu Shu-chen was indicted last year on corruption and forgery charges, his son-in-law Chao Chien-ming was convicted of insider trading and his Vice President Annette Lu has been indicted for graft. Chen was also named a suspect but escaped immediate prosecution because of presidential immunity. "The people cast a no-confidence vote on Chen's eight years in office," Hong Kong-based political commentator Cao Jingxing told AFP. "The DPP has to clean up the mess -- it will probably distance itself from Chen to save the party."
-
Travel to Taiwan for Chinese citizens
sylinchinastill posted a topic in AOS & Immigration Challenges
Has anyone here ever tried to get a visa to travel to Taiwan with a Chinese passport? My husband just changed jobs and he must travel to Taiwan- but I'm not exactly sure what the process is and I'm having a hard time finding info in English. -
Has anyone here had any experience bringing a spouse over to the US from Taiwan. She already has a B-2 visa and can stay here for 6 months while we apply to USCIS. Why is it so hard for Chinese women to get B-2 tourist visas? When I was in Taiwan in October there were hundreds of Taiwanese people waiting at AIT for their B-2 visas. Mike
