Taiwan Voice on Zhang's visit

Kitteh is unhappy with Zhang.

I've been busy putting together a presentation so enjoy Taiwan Voice's reporting on the visit of Zhang Zhi-jun's visit to Taiwan. Click on Read More to see full report.... (Facebook).

Taiwan Voice:

Fourth and last day of Zhang Zhijun’s visit—Zhang cancels scheduled visits; Taiwan’s MAC still treated as nothing more than Zhang’s personal secretary.

Today (28th) at 2 AM, Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) announced on short notice that Zhang Zhijun’s travel schedule will change. His scheduled visit to Kaohsiung’s Chien-Cheng Fish Harbor and The Lin Family Garden in Taichung have both been canceled. Also, instead of taking the high speed railway (HSR), they will drive to Taichung, due to the uproar Zhang caused when he arrived yesterday at the HSR station in Kaohsiung....

On the night of June 27 in Kaohsiung, protesters from the Taiwan Solidarity Union and the Black Island National Youth Front poured white paint and ghost money on Zhang’s vehicles upon his arrival at the Sizihwan Sunset Beach Resort, where he was to meet with Wang Yu-chin, Minister of the MAC. The color white and ghost money are both symbolic elements for the dead: white is reminiscent of the color for the shroud used to wrap a corpse, and ghost money (joss paper) is reserved for the deceased. According to Storm Media’s report, Zhang, while not hit by the paint, was shocked by the protest and seemed very unhappy. Deputy Minister of Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council scolded the police for doing a lousy job on security.

Zhang will meet with Taichung mayor Jason Hu at 11:30 AM today. Zhang’s visit to Mazu Temple in Lukang has just been cancelled (TWV:http://on.fb.me/1m7bUoT), where an event called “Lukang Spray Festival” has been organized to continue bombarding Zhang’s entourage with paint (http://on.fb.me/1lzpiB0). The MAC has also cancelled the transportation arrangement for the journalists, and now only a limited number of journalists have been given access. Storm Media called Zhang’s visit a PR disaster for Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council.

During Zhang’s visit in Taiwan, the MAC stressed that it was responsible for arranging the security and activities for the Chinese official; however, the MAC has been informed of Zhang’s schedule and arrangements at the last minute along with the public. Not once has the Chinese government official arranged his agenda with the MAC, but with each of the hosting parties directly (with Kaohsiung mayor Chen Chu, New Taipei city mayor Eric Chu, and with I-Shou University) without any regard to the Taiwanese government. The MAC’s main responsibilities ended up being nothing more than forwarding messages to the media, like a secretary. Also, since the forced entry incident at the Novotel Hotel at the Taoyuan Airport on day one of Zhang’s visit, the MAC has acted as if it had nothing to do with the incident and has not released a statement to this day.

Later tonight, the esteemed Mr. Zhang will leave the building...

Source: Storm Media Group—http://bit.ly/1nQVKM1
Photo: Wu Yi-hua

Related posts:
1st day of Zhang Zhijun's visit, police breaking into Democratic Front's hotel rooms: http://on.fb.me/1mgc8o1
2nd day of Zhang Zhijun's visit, activists chained themselves in Wulai:http://on.fb.me/1jTxxn2
3rd day of Zhang Zhijun's visit, student trying to block Zhang's car:http://on.fb.me/1jTIoxi
4th day of Zhang Zhijun's visit, incident at Mazu Temple:http://on.fb.me/1m7bUoT
Chinese government to visit Taiwan on June 25: http://on.fb.me/T3pg8I

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