Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday said that it would be a “lie” to say that she had put the controversy over her failed presidential bid completely behind her.
Speaking at the Taipei launch of her book, Unfinished Presidential Road, Hung said: “I wish the title of the book were different from what it is now. I would be lying if I said I am not sorry [over how things turned out], but I have to say I have no regrets or complaints.”
Hung was referring to the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) decision to rescind her candidacy in mid-October, almost three months after her nomination as the party’s official candidate on July 19. Citing her low poll ratings, the KMT replaced her with party Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫).
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Hung said she had “vigorously visited different places when she was the candidate although [her] legs are short.”
“Under the young master [shaoye, 少爺], we now have a different and better fate,” she said, referring to Chu, betraying a hint of bitterness with her choice of words. “I have finished off the bitter days for him. I hope he can fare better down the road.”
Asked whether she has been invited to the opening of Chu’s campaign headquarters on Saturday, Hung said she had not yet received an invitation.
“However, that is a good day [according to the traditional calendar], so even if I am invited, I would go to those places where I am needed the most, such as the party’s legislative candidates’ rallies, as Chu’s event would certainly be crowded by heavyweights,” she said.
Hung also reiterated her cross-strait policy, saying that although it is not wrong to uphold “one China, different interpretations,” it could only maintain a fragile cross-strait relationship, but not a stable one.
“It is a pity that the idea did not have the ear of our comrades, and that is what I find the most regretful,” she said.
Hung had championed the new idea of “one China, same interpretation” during her campaign, which was also one of the reasons she was ousted, as KMT headquarters viewed it as “going against mainstream public opinion.”
She said she also found it extremely upsetting when she was discouraged by others, saying that Taiwanese are “gullible and difficult to teach,” when she was trying to promote her ideas.
“If [the saying] is true, then it all the more needs to be changed,” Hung said.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS