After all the fuss about finding a nominee, the KMT central standing committee yesterday unanimously agreed to draft its chief of the party's Yunlin County branch, Chang Cheng-hsiung (
In assessing the nomination process, however, critics said it was pathetic to see the KMT having difficulty fielding a candidate.
Although few party colleagues are not optimistic about Chang's chances of winning the by-election, as evidenced by the fact that few congratulated him on his nomination, Chang seems confidant about his chances.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
"The KMT is like a huge aircraft carrier. It may take longer to refuel than smaller craft, but once it gets going, the momentum is frightening,'' Chang said.
Following the refusal by Taipei District Court Judge Wang Pei-chih (
"I had no intention of taking part in the by-election, but as I have been nominated by the party, I will do my best to win,'' Chang said.
KMT legislator Hou Hui-hsien (
"It grieves me to see that the KMT has to come down to drafting the Yunlin county party branch chairman. I am pessimistic about the outcome,'' Hou added.
KMT legislator and local faction leader from the county, Liao Hwu-peng (
"I am afraid that the by-election could further damage the KMT in next year's presidential election,'' Liao added.
Julian Kuo (
"The Yunlin county by-election has become a skirmish in the developing presidential battle. On the surface, the KMT wants to appoint a candidate without Chang Jung-wei's mafia-like image. But under the table, it wants to pull Chang away from Soong's side by nominating a comparatively weak candidate,'' Kuo said.
"KMT headquarters is trying to earn points for its image and gain political advantage at the same time. If it fails to achieve its goal, it may find itself stuck in a deadlock,'' Kuo said.
The Tourism Administration yesterday announced that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 to boost inbound tourism. The incentives are available to all international tourists, it said, adding that repeat visitors would be rewarded with NT$5,000 and would receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions. The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 percent increase from the same period last year, agency data showed. Japanese nationals are among groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived last year, a year-on-year increase of more than 12
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BOOST: By operating the same advanced systems as the US military, Taiwan would be better positioned to share and integrate intelligence with partners, an expert said The first batch of MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones has arrived in Taiwan, and is being assembled and tested by drone manufacturer General Atomics and the military ahead of flight trials as part of the air force’s acquisition to bolster its aerial surveillance capabilities, a source said yesterday. The air force allocated a budget of NT$21.7 billion (US$687 million) from 2022 to 2029 to procure four MQ-9B uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) manufactured by General Atomics along with associated equipment such as ground control stations. The US has agreed to deliver the four MQ-9Bs to Taiwan in two batches this year and next
Taiwanese firms’ China investments have dwindled to less than 1 percent of their total foreign investments, putting China-based investments on track for a record low this year, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed. Taiwan’s investments abroad in the first five months of this year reached US$35.92 billion, Department of Investment Review data showed. Investments outside China totaled US$35.61 billion, up 133.94 percent year-on-year, while investments in China totaled US$310.3 million, down 32.3 percent and about 0.86 percent of the total, data showed. Major overseas projects included Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) US$30 billion capital injection into an overseas subsidiary,
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