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:
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
RESPONSE: The transit sends a message that China’s alignment with other countries would not deter the West from defending freedom of navigation, an academic said Canadian frigate the Ville de Quebec and Australian guided-missile destroyer the Brisbane transited the Taiwan Strait yesterday morning, the first time the two nations have conducted a joint freedom of navigation operation. The Canadian and Australian militaries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The Ministry of National Defense declined to confirm the passage, saying only that Taiwan’s armed forces had deployed surveillance and reconnaissance assets, along with warships and combat aircraft, to safeguard security across the Strait. The two vessels were observed transiting northward along the eastern side of the Taiwan Strait’s median line, with Japan being their most likely destination,
‘NOT ALONE’: A Taiwan Strait war would disrupt global trade routes, and could spark a worldwide crisis, so a powerful US presence is needed as a deterrence, a US senator said US Senator Deb Fischer on Thursday urged her colleagues in the US Congress to deepen Washington’s cooperation with Taiwan and other Indo-Pacific partners to contain the global security threat from China. Fischer and other lawmakers recently returned from an official trip to the Indo-Pacific region, where they toured US military bases in Hawaii and Guam, and visited leaders, including President William Lai (賴清德). The trip underscored the reality that the world is undergoing turmoil, and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific region is crucial to the security interests of the US and its partners, she said. Her visit to Taiwan demonstrated ways the
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS