1)
One of the top stories from this past week was that Deputy Transportation Minister Tseng Dar-jen, spoke out against a new Chinese flight path just days before it was set to enter operation.
Flight route M503 is one of four new flight routes that China has unilaterally designated. It has drawn protests from the Taiwanese government because the route comes within eight kilometers of the Taipei Flight Information Region. The government is concerned that the route could endanger Taiwanese aircraft and compromise Taiwan’s national security.
Tseng said that Taiwan could scramble military jets as a warning should aircraft flying along the route violate air control regulations. He also called China’s unilateral declaration of the new flight routes a contravention of civil aviation conventions.
Taiwan’s government has demanded talks on the new routes, but recent events such as the crash of TransAsia Airways flight 235 have kept officials on both sides of the Taiwan Strait busy. Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council says that Chinese promises to shift the route four nautical miles to the west do not allay fears about the route’s impact on national security. China is expected to begin using flight route M503 on March 5.
The foreign ministry has decided to appeal to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for help in resolving the issue.
2)
Another one of the top stories from this past week was that the ruling party – the Kuomintang (KMT) -- dropped legal action against Legislature President Wang Jin-pyng. That means that Wang will retain his party membership.
The KMT revoked Wang’s membership in September, 2013 after he was accused of being involved in illegal lobbying of the judiciary. Wang brought the issue to the courts, which ruled in Wang’s favor twice. But President Ma Ying-jeou -- who was the party’s chairman at the time -- had sought further appeals. Since President Ma resigned as chairman, all eyes were on the new KMT Chairman Eric Chu to see what he would do with Wang’s case.
Instead of trying to expel Wang from the party, Chu decided to amend the party regulations on performance evaluations and discipline. Under the new rules, Wang's membership remains valid and the party sees no need to pursue legal action against Wang.
President Ma responded to the decision by saying he was personally disappointed and cannot agree with the decision.
3)
Also this past week, Taichung City Mayor Lin Chia-lung has referred the Taiwan Tower project to the Agency Against Corruption for investigation.
The project was initiated by Lin’s predecessor Jason Hu. On Thursday Lin said that there are several suspected irregularities in the project, including a possibly illegal bidding process and a lack of budget control.
The mayor said that the project’s budget has been changed four times and the cost of the building’s steelwork is excessively high. In January, Lin announced his decision to suspend the project, citing concerns over safety and a proposed doubling of its budget.
The planned 318-meter tall building was intended to be a landmark for the central city. Construction on the building, billed as "the Taiwanese Eiffel Tower,” had not yet begun.