People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) yesterday announced that he would run in the Jan. 11 presidential election with former United Communications Group chairwoman Sandra Yu (余湘) as his running mate.
“I have been on the election path for a total of 25 years,” Soong told a news conference in Taipei.
“I have participated in five of the Republic of China’s major elections, receiving a total of 17,790,085 votes,” he said.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
“Each vote represents approval of [me],” he added, before thanking voters for their support.
Next year’s presidential election would be his “sixth battle,” Soong said.
“At the same time, [the candidacy] is like the title of the movie Endgame,” he said.
He had not considered running for president until the morning of Sept. 17, Soong said.
“The night before, [Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海) founder] Terry Gou (郭台銘) had announced his withdrawal from the race,” Soong said. “If Gou had not withdrawn, I would not be standing here today.”
He had trouble falling asleep that night, Soong said, adding: “If the people of Taiwan cannot resolve the constraint of the emotional blackmail and threats of national doom of the blue and green, it would be very sad.”
“If there is not a presidential candidate with a global perspective capable of leading us — Taiwan — in fighting our way out of the competition between the three strong nations of the US, China and Japan, it would also be a shame,” he said.
“No one can sell out Taiwan, so we have to have faith in ourselves and even more so in the next generation, because the young generation has even higher standards for freedom and democracy than the previous generation,” he added. “I have prepared for this battle for 44 years.”
“[My] ‘endgame’ is definitely not an alliance of avengers like in the movie, because I recognize that all of the political parties in Taiwan have contributed to this country,” Soong said. “I only wish to help Taiwan’s freedom and democracy open a new chapter.”
TV show host Belle Yu (于美人) is to serve as the spokeswoman for Soong’s campaign, the PFP told the news conference.
If Soong’s candidacy results in the re-election of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), “how will [Soong] face [former president] Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國)?” the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said in response to Soong’s announcement.
The former president advocated a free and democratic system, Soong said in response.
Soong said that he worked alongside Chiang, who lifted martial law, as well as restrictions on newspapers, adding that no one can challenge his resolve and stance on these matters.
Soong ran as an independent in the 2000 presidential election against then-Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and then-vice president Lien Chan (連戰) of the KMT, placing second behind Chen.
In the 2004 presidential election, the PFP cooperated with the KMT, with Lien and Soong running for president and vice president respectively, but lost to Chen and then-vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).
Soong in 2006 took a leave of absence from the PFP to run as a non-partisan candidate in the Taipei mayoral election and, after losing, announced that he was retiring from politics, but he returned to run as the PFP’s presidential candidate in the 2012 and 2016 elections.
Additional reporting by Diane Baker
DEFENDING DEMOCRACY: Taiwan shares the same values as those that fought in WWII, and nations must unite to halt the expansion of a new authoritarian bloc, Lai said The government yesterday held a commemoration ceremony for Victory in Europe (V-E) Day, joining the rest of the world for the first time to mark the anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. Taiwan honoring V-E Day signifies “our growing connections with the international community,” President William Lai (賴清德) said at a reception in Taipei on the 80th anniversary of V-E Day. One of the major lessons of World War II is that “authoritarianism and aggression lead only to slaughter, tragedy and greater inequality,” Lai said. Even more importantly, the war also taught people that “those who cherish peace cannot
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
The Philippines yesterday criticized a “high-risk” maneuver by a Chinese vessel near the disputed Scarborough Shoal (Huangyan Island, 黃岩島) in a rare incident involving warships from the two navies. The Scarborough Shoal — a triangular chain of reefs and rocks in the contested South China Sea — has been a flash point between the countries since China seized it from the Philippines in 2012. Taiwan also claims the shoal. Monday’s encounter took place approximately 11.8 nautical miles (22km) southeast” of the Scarborough Shoal, the Philippine military said, during ongoing US-Philippine military exercises that Beijing has criticized as destabilizing. “The Chinese frigate BN 554 was
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
RSS