The Jenn Lann Temple (鎮瀾宮) in Taichung’s Dajia District (大甲) yesterday became a hot spot for political campaigning by a couple of contenders for the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairmanship, as they laid out their plans for the party during their visits to the nation’s most famous Matsu temple.
Accompanied by temple vice chairman Cheng Ming-kun (鄭銘坤), former KMT vice chairman Steve Chan (詹啟賢) arrived at 9am to pay homage to the goddess of the sea.
The KMT needs a leader with corporate experience as it weathers difficult times, Chan said, outlining how he helped Chi Mei Medical Center and vaccine maker Adimmune Corp (國光生技) get back on their feet when he led the two companies.
Photo: CNA
“Different challenges will surface at different stages and they have to be dealt with by different people. The most important tasks for the KMT right now are crisis management and making it more in-sync with society for it to regain the public’s support,” Chan said.
If he were elected party chairman on May 20, he would work toward representing the party in the 2020 presidential election, Chan said, adding that he would be willing to take a backseat should a better candidate emerge.
Having served as minister of the now-defunct department of health and policy adviser to former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), Chan resigned as KMT vice chairman earlier this month, reportedly due to his disapproval of KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu’s (洪秀柱) handling of the thorny party assets issue.
Hours later, KMT Vice Chairman and former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) arrived at the temple, accompanied by several high-profile politicians, including former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強), temple chairman Yen Ching-piao (顏清標), and scores of Taichung city councilors and local borough wardens.
Hau said he would not run for the presidency in 2020 if elected KMT chairman and would respect different opinions.
Hau said he intends to move the party toward collective leadership, facilitate integration between the KMT’s legislative caucus and local city and county council caucuses, and push for a generational change in the party.
“The most important goal is for the party to regain power and ensure its victory in the 2018 local elections and the 2020 presidential race,” Hau 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
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘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