Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (
After losing the KMT chairmanship election to Ma last month, Wang has refused to meet the Taipei mayor, and rejected Ma's offer to allow him to retain his vice chairmanship.
FOLLOWING ORDERS
Acting on outgoing Chairman Lien Chan's (
However, it is believed that Wang, who has described himself as "an eternal volunteer for the KMT," will firmly reject Ma's invitation to assume one of four vice chairmanships of the KMT, because Wang has already accepted an appointment letter to become the chairman of the KMT's Central Review Committee provided by Lien.
Ma, who yesterday went to Taitung County and Hualien County to meet with local party members, said that he was confident that the KMT would only be more united than before after the chairmanship election that Ma referred to as "big progress" for the party.
"I know that many of our members have felt ashamed to acknowledge their KMT membership, but now they are so proud of the party's progress," Ma said.
"It is allright that, no matter who you voted for in the chairmanship election -- whether you voted for Wang or Ma -- what counts is that the KMT is the only party you support," Ma said to the audience.
NEW GENERATION
In response to suggestions from some members of employing more of the young generation in the party, Ma said that he will appoint the leader of the KMT's youth group as one of the party's chairpersons, and stressed that cultivation of youthful elite will be a major issue for the KMT. Lien's son, Lien Sheng-wen (連勝文) and vice chairman Wu Po-hsiung's (吳伯雄) son, Wu Chih-kang (吳志剛), who have both been elected as KMT delegates in Taipei, are regarded as prospective candidates to lead the youth group.
The KMT's 17th national convention, which will run on Friday and Saturday, will hold a handing-over ceremony of the chairmanship and Ma will give his inauguration speech that will announce significant declarations, including the issues on the reforms of party affairs and party assets, recruitment of new members and visions to the future, according to Chan.
The convention will also approve the appointment of the vice chairpersons nominated by Ma and an election for the party's new central members will be held. The convention will also announce that Lien is going to serve as "honorary chairmen."
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
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About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
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