The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) national congress yesterday officially endorsed Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) as its presidential candidate, putting an end to months of speculation about Hung’s candidacy, which until yesterday was rumored to be facing opposition within the party.
Hung’s nomination was approved in the first session of the national congress. As soon as KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) asked attendees whether they agreed to have Hung represent the party in next year’s presidential election, the hall roared with clapping and cheering, with Chu congratulating Hung on becoming the party’s candidate, ending the official nomination process.
In her acceptance speech, Hung said: “Our nation faces various challenges: competition due to globalization, a slack economy, a widening wealth gap, the lack of justice equality and deteriorating quality of life, but the biggest threats are egregious political infighting and populism, which have stalled Taiwan’s development, incited disorder, disrupted society and left people baffled.”
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“In order to safeguard [the nation’s] peace and openness, the KMT must be the winner in next year’s elections,” she said.
“We cannot leave Taiwan to be governed by lies and populism or let a party that has never repented and apologized [for what it has done] return to power and again trap Taiwan in disastrous isolationism and disorder,” Hung said.
“Only when the KMT is good can Taiwan’s future be better,” she added.
She said the KMT is a glorious party with a history spanning more than 100 years that “founded the Republic of China, led its people to victory in the eight-year war of resistance against Japan, raised Taiwan from the wretched colony it was, headed the Taiwanese economic miracle, helped the nation win worldwide respect through its democracy and consolidated cross-strait peace.”
“These achievements are the results of the KMT’s efforts, a fact that cannot be denied regardless of the smearing the party has been subjected to,” she said.
“Peace, openness, equal distribution of wealth and morality are the goals to which I hope to lead the nation. Honesty, respect, tolerance and benevolence are the values I believe in,” Hung said.
“If I am elected, I will adhere to the Constitution and the party’s political platform, which is to consolidate, deepen and push peaceful cross-strait development on the basis of the 1992 consensus, guaranteeing Taiwan’s dignity as the top priority,” Hung said, referring to a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000, concerning an alleged tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that there is only “one China,” with each side of the Taiwan Strait having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Hung switched to Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) for a few paragraphs of her speech in an attempt to portray herself as having humble origins.
“My father was unemployed for more than 40 years after he was released from the prison on Green Island, but I never harbored a grudge or allowed my heart to be filled with hatred. If I am elected, I would be a president who understands the needs of the public. I would be a president who values fairness and justice above all else,” she said.
Switching back to Mandarin, Hung said there is a song that she is fond of called Beautiful Island, composed by famed Taiwanese folk singer Li Shuang-ze (李雙澤). The lyrics were written by Taiwanese poet Chen Hsiu-hsi (陳秀喜).
“The lyrics read: ‘Our cradle, the beautiful island, is the embrace of a mother; the proud ancestors are watching over our steps.’ Taiwan is our mother. It is our responsibility, regardless of generation, to cherish and take care of it. This land is where we live and establish our families. We love Taiwan with a genuine heart and will safeguard the Republic of China with our lives,” she said.
Hung’s spokesperson Jack Yu (游梓翔) later told the media that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) had kept his promise and sent a congratulatory plaque to Hung, as well as to DPP Chairperson and candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
The “White Justice Alliance” group organized an event outside the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, where the congress was taking place, to “cheer for Hung.”
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
RSS