Deputy secretary-general to the president Chen Che-nan (
"I met Chen Yu-hao three times in 2002. The first time was at a restaurant, where a friend introduced us," Chen Che-nan said at a news conference at the Presidential Office.
PHOTO: LUO PEI-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
"The other two meetings were at the Presidential Office, where Chen Yu-hao explained that he did not transfer capital to invest in China while leaving huge debts in Taiwan. We did not discuss donations at any of the meetings, and I have neither transferred donations for Chen Yu-hao to the president nor accepted his money," Chen Che-nan said.
He said that Chen Yu-hao's asser-tions had a political motive.
Over the past five days opposition parties have held several press conferences accusing Chen Che-nan of involvement in financial scandals. In response to their claims, Chen Che-nan authorized Presidential Office spokesman James Huang (
On Thursday some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators asked Chen Che-nan to face the media in person to clearly explain whether he had made any deal with Chen Yu-hao.
At yesterday's press conference, Chen Che-nan denied all the claims against him, including allegations that he had met Chen Yu-hao at the China Development Group's private club and that he had accepted money from Chen Yu-hao at his residence.
"I am stating frankly and honestly that we do have a close relationship, but that I never took his money," Chen Che-nan said.
Meanwhile, Vice President Annette Lu (
"The problem is not political donations as such, but how to regulate the donation process, and placing all politicians under the scrutinizing mechanism," Lu said in a TV interview last night.
"The opposition parties, including the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the People First Party (PFP), attack others for taking money, but at the same time do their best to obstruct the DPP's plans for passing the Political Donation Law," Lu said.
"How could those two parties dare to point fingers at us?" Lu said.
Commenting on a report in a Chinese-language newspaper on Wednesday that she had also received donations worth NT$55 million from Chen Yu-hao's group, Lu criticized the media's performance and asked the media to restrain itself.
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
RSS