The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) will open its remaining controversial party asset, Central Investment Co, to a fourth public bid on Jan. 25 in an attempt to fulfill one of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) promises. Ma, who doubles as KMT chairman, said the party would no longer run any businesses.
The KMT failed in its three previous attempts to sell the company, in 2006, in February 2009 and in June last year. The company has a net worth of about NT$20 billion (US$619 million) and is the last of the KMT’s most controversial assets, following the sale of its Institute on Policy Research and Development building, three media outlets and its former headquarters.
Central Investment Co chairperson Huang Yi-teng (黃怡騰) said yesterday that there were five firms that obtained bidding documents for the company last month and that it would find its bidder through a public bidding process.
Huang declined to reveal the identities of the bidders, but said the company would categorically reject Chinese investors to avoid unnecessary political associations and any companies with bad records.
Unloading illicit assets was a major promise made by Ma when he first assumed the KMT chairmanship in 2005. The KMT sold the building housing the Policy Research and Development for NT$4.3 billion and three media assets — China Television Co (CTV), Broadcasting Corporation of China (BCC) and the Central Motion Picture Co (CMPC) — to the China Times Group for NT$9.3 billion in 2005.
Ma had promised in December of 2009 that the party would propose a final solution to the illicit party assets issue, but he emphasized that did not mean the KMT would no longer have any assets.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost