Former premier Yu Shyi-kun, a former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman, announced yesterday that he will enter the race for mayor of New Taipei City (新北市), the nation’s largest municipality by population.
“If the party supports me, I am willing to fight the battle in its name,” Yu said in an informal meeting with the media in Taipei to announce his bid.
Asked whether he was too old at 65 to run for the job, Yu said he has climbed 24 mountains around Taiwan over the past five years.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
“You can see I am physically fit enough,” he said.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) is also 65 and former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was 73 when he ran for the presidency in 1996, Yu said.
Yu is the second DPP politician, following former legislator Chuang Suo-hang (莊碩漢), to announce a bid for the New Taipei race. The two will likely face more rivals from within the party.
Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政), head of the DPP’s New Taipei headquarters, said he has been thinking about whether to join the race.
Meanwhile, commenting on Yu’s bid, New Taipei Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said he welcomes distinguished people who care about the city to run for mayor.
Asked if he will seek a second term, Chu did not respond.
There have been media reports saying that Chu, 52, who previously served as vice premier, wants to run for the post of Taipei mayor, or the presidency. Chu is considered a star of his generation in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT).
The seven-in-one municipal elections are scheduled for December next year.
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
RSS