Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday expressed her willingness to have a TV debate with her pan-blue counterpart, vice presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜).
The ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) campaign headquarters will negotiate with the pan-blue camp today about the arrangements for holding TV debates between both camps' presidential candidates, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) chairman Lien Chan (連戰).
PHOTO: YEH CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
Lu yesterday urged the DPP headquarters to help her arrange a vice-presidential candidate TV debate.
"While the public is accusing both camps of running a negative campaign and urges all candidates to set a good example while campaigning, I must stress that I am the only one who continues to promote policies concerning the nation's future," Lu said yesterday during the launch of her new book, The Great Future of Taiwan.
"It seems that everyone just forgets about me and my efforts to establish a clean, esteemed and honorable campaign has been completely ignored by the media, which just want to grab sensational and dirty issues."
"So, I am expecting that the media now will facilitate the opportunity to allow I and Mr. Soong to expound our ideas and visions," she said.
Lu said that the Central Election Committee only arranged a TV speech for the two vice-presidential candidates on Feb. 28, which is the day she and all DPP members will join the Taiwan Solidarity Union's (TSU) "1 million hand-in-hand" effort.
"I hope that the committee will be understanding and postpone the TV speech to the next day," she said.
During yesterday's conference, Lu again advocated creating a Democratic Pacific Union and enhancing the development of an "ocean culture" by uniting the countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
She said that Taiwan's "soft power," which integrates Taiwan's outstanding achievements in technology, democracy, human rights and especially maintaining peace despite China's long-term military threats, are the best weapons to use against the Beijing authority's "Great China Empire" intentions.
Asking to comment on whether the international community's concern about President Chen's referendum plan will benefit the DPP's campaign or not, Lu said that the trend of internationalization of the "Taiwan issue" or the "cross-strait issue" will help maintain Taiwan's security.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
RSS