Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), the nation’s first directly elected president, is expected to publish an endorsement of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ticket in seven Chinese--language newspapers today, one of Lee’s close aides said yesterday.
The ad, to be titled “Give Taiwan a Chance,” will express Lee’s hopes for the country from his perspective as the nation’s former leader, said the aide, who asked not to be named.
Lee is of the opinion that Taiwan needs a head of state who is competent, strong, responsible, approachable and harbors compassion for the people, and that these traits are especially obvious in Taiwanese women, the aide said.
Photo: Pichi Chuang, Reuters
However, it is still not clear if Lee, who had a cancerous tumor removed in early November, will personally attend a campaign rally to endorse DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) before the elections on Saturday.
The aide said Lee, who turns 89 on Sunday, remains weak and he still is at risk of infection after the surgery. Even if he does appear at a rally, he will only be present for three to five minutes, the aide said.
In an advertisement yesterday, Nobel laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) and 86 scientists defended Tsai’s role in the TaiMed case, calling her “capable, rational and trustworthy.”
The ad referred to Tsai’s role in the establishment of TaiMed Biologics Co (中裕新藥股份有限公司), formerly known as Yu Chang Biologics Co (宇昌生技股份有限公司), in 2007.
In March of that year, Tsai approved government investment in the new biotech venture in her capacity as vice premier. She then stepped down from her post in May and became chairwoman of the company in September.
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), led by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), has accused Tsai of a conflict of interest.
Academia Sinica president Wong Chi-huey (翁啟惠) denied the charges at the time, saying Tsai was invited by the company’s executive team to be its chairwoman.
In a newspaper ad titled “Scientists’ conscience,” the scientists yesterday said: “The TaiMed case is a successful example of a biotech venture, but has fallen victim to a smear campaign.”
The ad was co-signed by Lee and 86 other scientists, including Patrick Yang (楊育民), executive vice president of Switzerland-based Roche, 23 Academia Sinica researchers and Hsu Chao-hui (許照惠), founder and vice chairman of US-based IVAX Corp.
The scientists also praised Tsai’s contribution to the venture, saying she had done her best for the country’s biotech development, and appealed to people to give Tsai justice.
Wong was not among the signatories to the ad.
When asked by the press for comment, DPP spokesperson Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said it was understandable that Wong did not sign the statement, given his official status as head of the academy.
Additional reporting by Lee Hsin-fang and Liu Jung
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or
RSS