Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday said that he was committed to doing his duty if he is “drafted” by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to run for president.
However, a party official said that a draft is unnecessary at this stage, as the KMT’s presidential primary is still in process.
Just weeks after holding a news conference at which Wang expressed an “apology” to supporters for his decision not to run in the KMT presidential primary, when asked yesterday by reporters how he would feel about being drafted into making a bid, his response seemed to indicate a change in attitude.
Photo: CNA
“As Taiwanese [we] care about the survival and development of Taiwan, and as a KMT party member, [I] would shoulder the duty with full commitment if it is the party’s decision,” he said.
As for the proposal made by some KMT lawmakers that the party’s rules on nominating legislator-at-large candidates be revised to allow Wang to remain in the legislature, Wang said he “had not heard about it.”
According to the Central News Agency, KMT Secretary-General Lee Shu-chuan (李四川), in response to Wang’s remarks, said there is no question of a “draft” at this stage, since the primary mechanism is in process, and the party would nominate Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), the sole runner in the primary, if she crosses the 30 percent threshold in a party poll as required by the KMT’s primary rules.
When asked how she views Wang’s sudden change of attitude, Hung yesterday said that she is glad that someone is now willing to take on the responsibility, “but do not forget that we still have to go through the [primary] mechanism; there can be a further step only when the procedure has been completed.”
The party ballot is scheduled to be conducted on Friday and Saturday, and the results are to be released on Sunday or Monday next week at the earliest, KMT officials said.
In related news, Chinese-language media reported that former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bing (郝龍斌) intends to enter the legislative race in central or southern Taiwan, where allegedly few or no candidates have thrown their hats in the ring.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said he has not verified the news with Hau, “but if it is true, it would be a good thing.
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
RSS