MISSILE INCIDENT:Katharine Chang said the Mainland Affairs Council has sent two text messages to China, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the US
Taipei Times
Date: Jul 12, 2016
By: Chen Wei-han / Staff reporter
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said the nation no longer has a smooth
Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang, left, and Coast Guard Administration Director-General Lee Chung-wei attend a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Affairs Committee yesterday in Taipei. Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
communication channel with China since the new administration was sworn in, as a cross-strait hotline remained ineffective during an incident involving a missile fired by mistake on July 1.
In a question-and-answer session at a meeting of the legislature’s Internal Administration Committee in Taipei focused on the aftermath of the incident, Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang (張小月) said the communication channel between Taipei and Beijing no longer runs as smoothly as it did before the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration took office on May 20.
The council had twice contacted China’s Taiwan Affairs Office about the incident on July 1 and July 2. Both contacts were made via text message, Chang said.
Chang did not directly respond to questions as to whether China replied to the council’s messages. [FULL STORY]
