Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng’s (王金平) unexpected no-show at a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative candidate’s campaign event yesterday has fanned speculation that Wang’s dissatisfaction with the remaining uncertainty over where he is to rank on the party’s list of candidates for at-large legislators has caused tension between him and KMT presidential candidate and Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Wang has seemed reluctant to campaign for KMT candidates over the past few months, saying that uncertainty over whether he has the right to a fourth term as a legislator-at-large means “he has not been given any title that allows him to do so.”
While the KMT’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday sought to resolve the issue by passing a motion that exempts KMT legislators-at-large who double as legislative speaker from the party’s self-imposed three-term limit, debates remain within the party on where Wang should rank on the party’s at-large list for the Jan. 16 legislative election.
Photo: Chang An-chiao, Taipei Times
KMT lawmakers siding with Wang have urged the party to offer him the top spot on the list, while some members have accused the KMT of bending rules for a single member and insisted that Wang should be placed 10th.
Wang was scheduled to attend the opening of KMT Legislator Lu Chia-chen’s (盧嘉辰) campaign headquarters in New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城) at 10am, 10 minutes after Chu was due to arrive.
The apparent effort to create a sense of party solidarity at the event — which was attended by Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) and a number of KMT lawmakers — fell apart when Wang announced he would not attend.
It was the second time in two days that Wang has abruptly pulled out of a campaign activity that would have placed him and Chu together, after he failed to appear at an event held by KMT legislative candidate Lin Chiang-chuan (林江釧) in Chiayi County on Saturday.
Dismissing rumors of strained relations, Chu said Wang is and would continue to be the KMT’s top choice of leader of the legislature.
“I believe Wang cares very much for the party’s legislative candidates. Do not worry. Speaker Wang must campaign for them in his own style and at his own pace,” Chu said.
Asked how high Wang would be placed on the KMT’s list of legislator-at-large candidates, Chu said a consensus has been reached among party members, of which Wang is aware.
“Although we still have to respect the nomination evaluation committee’s decisions, our disposition is clear: We would like Wang to be the KMT’s first choice of legislative speaker in the future,” Chu said.
While expressing respect for decisions made by Wang and party headquarters, Lu yesterday urged KMT heavyweights to unite and look at the bigger picture to prevent the party from falling victim to ridicule.
“The party only has hope when its members are united and working to build consensuses,” Lu said.
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