Speculation that People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) might be offered a key position in the Chen administration intensified yesterday as the caucuses of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the People First Party (PFP) continued to court one another.
Reports emerged that Soong might accept a purported offer by President Chen Shui-bian (
It was also reported that DPP caucus whip and acting chairman Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) went to the US last week to meet Soong to persuade him to accept the offer.
But Ker denied the report yesterday and said he did not meet Soong in the US.
Sources said that Ker did go to the US last week with the hope of meeting Soong, but that Soong did not agree to a meeting out of concern that Ker might not relay his intentions accurately.
It is also understood that Chen is willing to offer a government position to Soong, but that Soong has not accepted anything to date.
Ker ramped up speculation about DPP-PFP cooperation yesterday, saying the next two weeks would be crucial for any deal.
Soong is expected to return on Tuesday from the US, where he has been on holiday.
Ker praised a statement by Soong released before he went abroad that the PFP would compete with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and cooperate with other parties on domestic issues.
Ker said the statement was cleverly put together.
"James Soong is a political figure who understands the political situation well.
"President Chen made it very clear in his New Year address that there is nothing that cannot be discussed relating to cross-party reconciliation under the principles laid out in the address," Ker said.
"The president's meeting with Legislative Speaker [Wang Jin-pyng] yesterday also demonstrated that he wanted to talk with the KMT about political stability," Ker said.
When asked whether Soong would be appointed head of the Committee for Cross-Strait Peace and Development, Ker said that Chen stated he wanted a leader from the opposition to head the committee, and that one of the two leaders would be chosen.
"I don't know whether the DPP is in touch with Soong. I am just the acting chairman and I haven't been in touch with him," Ker said.
Meanwhile, PFP caucus whip Liu Wen-hsiung (
"Although there are many rumors about DPP-PFP cooperation, the PFP has two unchanging platforms: guarding the Republic of China and opposing independence, and never negotiating with other parties over government posts," Liu said.
Liu also denied that Soong had met Ker.
The PFP's central committee also denied that Soong had met with Ker yesterday. In a press conference held later yesterday, PFP spokesman Hsieh Kung-ping (謝公秉) insisted Soong did not meet DPP members while abroad.
Also see story:
Taiwan has arranged for about 8 million barrels of crude oil, or about one-third of its monthly needs, to be shipped from the Red Sea this month to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and ease domestic supply pressures, CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) said yesterday. The state-run oil company has worked with Middle Eastern suppliers to secure routes other than the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas typically passes, CPC chairman Fang Jeng-zen (方振仁) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. Suppliers in Saudi Arabia have indicated they
South Korea has adjusted its electronic arrival card system to no longer list Taiwan as a part of China, a move that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said would help facilitate exchanges between the two sides. South Korea previously listed “Taiwan” as “Taiwan (China)” in the drop-down menus of its online arrival card system, where people had to fill out where they came from and their next destination. The ministry had requested South Korea make a revision and said it would change South Korea’s name on Taiwan’s online immigration system from “Republic of Korea” to “Korea (South),” should the issue not be
Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed. Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410. There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said. However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental
AIR ALERT: China’s reservation of airspace over the Yellow Sea and East China Sea could be an attempt to test the US’ response ahead of a Trump-Xi meeting, the NSB head said China’s attempts to infiltrate Taiwan are systematic, planned and targeted, with activity shifting from recruiting mid-level military officers to rank-and-file enlisted personnel, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) integrates national security, intelligence operations and “united front” efforts into a dense network to conduct intelligence gathering and espionage in Taiwan, Tsai said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee. It uses specific networks to screen targets through exchange activities and recruiting local collaborators to establish intelligence-gathering organizations, he said. China is also shifting who it targets to lower-ranking military personnel,
RSS