Wang Jin-pyng eyes presidential election, Lee says

The reason that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) refused to remain in his former position as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) vice chairman was that he wants to focus on the 2008 presidential election, former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday.

Lee made the surprising remarks yesterday afternoon during a lecture at the Kaohsiung branch of the Lee Teng-hui School.

"I know Wang has designs on running in the 2008 presidential election. Therefore, it is impossible for him to stay on in the post of KMT vice chairman," Lee said during his lecture.

"If Wang did remain as KMT vice chairman, he would have been held up with inner-party politics and would have had no chance to do the things he wants," Lee said. "Of course Wang is eyeing the 2008 presidency. But before that, the people of Taiwan must watch his words and conduct to see if he truly has his heart set on Taiwan localization."

"If Wang enables the arms procurement bill to be passed in the legislature, I think people would give him a high evaluation," Lee said.

Lee also anticipated Wang to insist on toeing the political line that supports Taiwan's localization. "Only by doing so, does Wang have a future," Lee said.

In addition to voicing his concern about the KMT, Lee also criticized the government's recent reactions to China's preferential treatment offers to Taiwan.

"China claimed to have lowered the tuition fees of Taiwanese students studying there and scrapped duty tariffs on some of Taiwan's fruit exports there. Those seemingly good offers from China are poisonous," Lee said.

"If our government doesn't try to figure out the problems presented by these offerings, it will not get a clear understanding of what China is attempting to do until it has already been swindled," he said.

During his lecture, Lee also expressed his anger at a report in a local Chinese-language newspaper last week regarding his upcoming trip to the US.

"That story simply wanted to inform China how to obstruct my trip to the US, which is virtually an action in collusion with China," Lee said.

But he seemed to have great confidence in his trip to the US, saying that things are "all set."

"I'm confident in my speech in the US," Lee said. "I will do the things that the government does not dare to do [in the US]."