Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), longtime political rivals who could meet in the party’s chairmanship election in May, yesterday exchanged verbal jabs over reports of Chinese interference in the election.
In a keynote speech to the DPP’s Central Standing Committee on Wednesday, Taiwan Thinktank councilor Tung Li-wen (董立文) said Beijing’s planned to “eliminate Su” due to the chairman’s hawkish China policy.
The remarks were made after Hsieh had left the meeting early and were criticized by several party members as a political maneuver to boost Su’s possible re-election campaign — Su has not made official announcement on a bid — and paint Hsieh as Beijing’s favored candidate in the election.
Photo: CNA
Responding to a media inquiry about the so-called “eliminate Su plan,” Hsieh said yesterday that the speech’s timing, coming after his early departure from the meeting, was “rude.”
China’s political plan could be targeted at any DPP politician, Hsieh said without elaborating.
Su said he had not read Tung’s report before the meeting, but Tung’s assessment made sense as Beijing has always tried to discredit anyone who safeguards Taiwanese identity and values.
Su denied that being Beijing’s enemy would benefit a re-election campaign, saying that he “did not care much about what favors me and what works against me.”
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said Tung’s remarks “could have exaggerated things a little bit,” but were not groundless.
“It does not take a genius to know that Beijing would try to marginalize, discredit and attack those who are pro-Taiwan. It has been very clear — and I have said all along — that China will interfere with all elections in Taiwan, including the DPP’s chairman election,” Lu said.
Lu — one of the aspirants for the DPP’s nomination in the Taipei mayoral election — said that former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Lien Chan’s (連戰) meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in Beijing shortly before the expected announcement of his son’s participation in the Taipei mayoral election was a case of Chinese interference, apparently referring to former Taipei EasyCard Co chairman Sean Lien’s (連勝文) likely campaign run for Taipei mayor.
Former chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who could also participate in the chairman election, said she had never heard of the “eliminate Su plan.”
The DPP would be well advised to find out where the report came from, she added.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
RSS