The preparatory committee of the tentatively-named Nonpartisan Solidarity Union (NSU) was established yesterday, bringing the country a step closer to seeing the formation of a new political party.
Former interior minister Chang Po-ya (
Chang said the establishment of the NSU will effectively offer a "third" or "middle-way" choice for the people of Taiwan, who have long been divided into only two groups -- either "pro-unification blue" or "pro-independence green."
The new party's 40-odd founders include some well-known politicians such as Chang, former Hsinchu mayor Shih Hsin-chung (
The NSU preparatory committee was to file a list of its founders yesterday with the Ministry of the Interior in the first step toward forming the new party, said Chiu Chuang-liang (邱創良), one of the founders.
Tsai Hao (
Tsai said the NSU is expected to flex its muscles in the year-end legislative elections and is determined to win more than 15 seats. The party will name no more than one candidate in each constituency in the elections, in hopes of winning more than 5 percent of the vote, Tsai said.
He added that all 10 members of the alliance will stand for re-election, which should quell speculation that the Democratic Progressive Party is trying to win over the alliance's support in the legislature by offering its members Cabinet positions or seats in the Control Yuan.
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.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) today said that if South Korea does not reply appropriately to its request to correct Taiwan’s name on its e-Arrival card system before March 31, it would take corresponding measures to alter how South Korea is labeled on the online Taiwan Arrival Card system. South Korea’s e-Arrival card system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in the “point of departure” and “next destination” fields. The ministry said that it changed the nationality for South Koreans on Taiwan’s Alien Resident Certificates from “Korea” to “South Korea” on March 1, in a gesture of goodwill and based on the
Taiwanese officials were shown the first of 66 F-16V fighter jets purchased by Taiwan from the United States, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday, adding the aircraft has completed an initial flight test and is expected to be delivered later this year. A delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) visited Lockheed Martin’s F-16 C/D Block 70 (also known as F-16V) assembly line in South Carolina on March 16 to view the aircraft. The jet will undergo a final acceptance flight in the US before being delivered to Taiwan, the
The New Taipei Metro's Sanyin Line and the eastern extension of the Taipei Metro's Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) are scheduled to begin operations in June, the National Development Council said today. The Red Line, which terminates at Xiangshan Station, would be connected by the 1.4km extension to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, while the Sanyin Line would link New Taipei City's Tucheng and Yingge stations via Sanxia District (三峽). The council gave the updates at a council meeting reviewing progress on public construction projects for this year. Taiwan's annual public infrastructure budget would remain at NT$800 billion (US$25.08 billion), with NT$97.3
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