The time is not yet right for the three pan-blue parties to merge, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) spokesman Alex Tsai (
Tsai was responding to questions about whether the KMT and its splinter parties -- the New Party and the People First Party (PFP) -- will merge following KMT Chairman Lien Chan's (連戰) remarks during a rally on Saturday that the three parties will cooperate even more closely in the wake of the March 20 presidential election.
Tsai said that "there has been consistent speculation to that effect, but the timing is not yet ripe."
"The Democratic Progressive Party [DPP] has pulled out all the stops to try to disintegrate pan-blue cooperation," Tsai said, adding that he wanted to advise the DPP to direct its efforts in the right places.
Meanwhile, an ally of the DPP urged Lien to concede defeat and step down as party chairman.
Taiwan Solidarity Union whip Cheng Chen-lung (
"Lien should pass the baton to others and let the grand old party become Taiwanized," Cheng said, adding that Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (
Cheng said that the KMT should learn the will of the people to move toward the direction of Taiwanization, adding that if Wang serves as its chairman, the party can maintain its power to balance that of the ruling party.
He also said that PFP Chairman James Soong (
He said the KMT and the PFP will have to go their own ways in the year-end legislative elections.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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