This Week in Taiwan 0707-0713
July 9:
The U.S. Republican Party released a draft of its 2024 party platform. The new platform calls for revoking China's most-favored-nation status for mainland China but notably lacks any mention of Taiwan. This is the first time since the Republic of China and United States severed diplomatic relations that the Republican Party's platform does not include a stance on Taiwan, raising concerns.
July 9:
After accepting President Lai Ching-te's invitation to serve on a national committee on climate change, Lee Yuan-tseh, Nobel laureate and former president of the Academia Sinica, publicly expressed support for nuclear energy. He acknowledged the risk but emphasized that nuclear power is necessary compared to the catastrophic impact of greenhouse gas emissions.
The energy policy of the Lai administration has attracted scrutiny. Taiwan's energy policy. Pegatron Chairman Tzu-Hsien Tung and Deputy Premier Cheng Li-chun, who are both deputy chairs of the aforesaid committee, recently exchanged fire over the "Nuclear-Free Homeland" policy.
July 9:
The Penghu Coast Guard released a Chinese mainland fishing vessel and its four crew members after imposing a fine of NT$300,000 (about US$9,219). This departure from the usual month-long detention is seen as a goodwill gesture, and it is hoped that the mainland will allow the return of Penghu-registered fishing vessels promptly.
July 10:
Raymond Greene, the new director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) met with President Lai. While the AIT press release mentioned U.S. support for Taiwan under the "One China" policy based upon the Taiwan Relations Act, Three Communiqués, and Six Assurances. The press release by the Office of the President, however did not mention the "One China" policy. Scholars speculate that the omission was intentional for domestic political correctness, and the AIT's statement subtly reminds Taiwan of its significance. When Director Sandra Oudkirk met with President Tsai Ing-wen in 2021, the "One China" policy was not mentioned.
July 10:
During a tea meeting with media, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung revealed that Taiwan has the opportunity to join the U.S. defense supply chain, with friend-shoring outsourcing to include Taiwan. The specific projects are still under negotiation. Lin also stated that the weapons, ammunition, and related equipment needed in the U.S. military supply chain for the Russia-Ukraine war could be produced in Taiwan; both Taiwan and the United States agree on this general direction, and specific cooperation projects are still under discussion.
July 10:
The Education and Culture Committee of the Legislative Yuan scheduled a review of the draft Nuclear Reactor Facilities Control Act, which is related to the resolution of issues with nuclear power plants. Due to a lack of consensus between the ruling and opposition parties, substantive review will not occur until the next session at the earliest.
The Executive Yuan subsequently stated that according to the law, the operating license for Reactor No. 1 at the Third Nuclear Power Plant will expire on July 27 and will be decommissioned as scheduled. Even if the law is amended, it will not be able to generate electricity immediately in the short term.
July 11:
Cheng Wen-tsan, former chairman of the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) was accused of accepting a bribe of NT$5 million (about US$153,650) during his tenure as Taoyuan mayor in connection with a land development case. After three hearings, the court ordered his detention and prohibited his meeting or communicating with others. Cheng resigned as SEF chairman the day after being interviewed by the prosecution.
The case has escalated, with the opposition party exposing multiple documents indicating that the bribe was not only given to Cheng but also involved Joseph Wu, then secretary-general to the president, who replied with a letter from the Office of the President stating that the matter had been referred to the Executive Yuan for handling, mentioning that "the President attaches great importance to this." The Executive Yuan quickly referred the matter to the Ministry of the Interior two days later. Both the Office of the President and Executive Yuan stated that there was no illegality and welcomed any evidence of violations to be submitted for judicial investigation.
July 12:
The Taipei International Summer Travel Exhibition opened, with the mainland Chinse delegation led by Deputy Director Wang Jing of the Anhui provincial Department of Culture and Tourism. The delegation included 155 members from 12 provinces and regions, making it the largest group of officials visiting Taiwan since the pandemic. Vice Chairman Lo Wen-chia of the SEF called for cross-strait tourism to resume.