Legislative Yuan Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) yesterday brushed aside speculation that he might team up with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to run in the 2012 presidential race.
“It is all unfounded rumors, regardless of whether it is about a Ma-Wang ticket or Wang-Ma ticket,” Wang said on the sideline of a fair for charity in Greater Kaohsiung yesterday.
Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) has previously said he would serve only one term.
Photo: Kuo Fang-chi, Taipei Times
Wang, a heavyweight of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), has been rumored to be one of the possible candidates for a ticket with Ma in his re-election bid.
“All the rumors are false,” Wang said.
He added that he would think about what he could contribute to the country and the party during the upcoming Lunar New Year holidays. He did not elaborate.
Wang later yesterday departed for the US for a 10-day visit at the invitation of two US universities.
Wang will give a speech on the key forces in Taiwan’s development at Harvard University and the University of California, Berkeley, on Tuesday and Friday respectively.
The speeches will be open to the public, with half the time devoted to a question-and-answer session. During his stay, Wang will also visit Congress on Wednesday and Thursday and meet several senior Congressional members before returning to Taiwan on Jan. 31.
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