KINMEN (TVBS News) — Typhoon Gaemi (凱米颱風) has forced the postponement of a critical cross-strait negotiation initially scheduled for Wednesday (July 24) at the Golden Lake Hotel (金湖飯店) in Kinmen (金門).
Due to the typhoon, the suspension of Mini Three Links (小三通) ferry services prevented mainland Chinese representatives from arriving.
In February, a mainland Chinese fishing boat that had no name, no certification and no port registration, capsized in Kinmen waters, resulting in two deaths.
Despite 15 rounds of negotiations, the dispute remains unresolved.
Mainland Chinese representatives, including Li Zhaohui (李朝暉), deputy director of the Quanzhou Taiwan Affairs Office (大陸泉州台辦), and Xu Weiwei (許偉偉), an official of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (海協會), were scheduled to arrive at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Their counterparts, the Taiwanese representatives, include Chou Ming-jui (周鳴瑞) from the Mainland Affairs Council, Hsieh Ching-Chin (謝慶欽), Coast Guard Administration deputy director-general, and representatives from the Straits Exchange Foundation, had planned to sign a consensus at 10:30 a.m. and pay respects at the Kinmen funeral home at 11:30 a.m.
The Mainland Affairs Council and the Taiwan Affairs Office had reached a breakthrough consensus, planning to sign it at the Golden Lake Hotel. Taiwan also intended to return the bodies and the vessel of the deceased fishermen. However, due to the typhoon, these plans remain incomplete.
Both sides must now reschedule the meeting, aiming to resolve the ongoing dispute and solidify their agreements. The delay underscores the challenges posed by natural events in diplomatic efforts.
