Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who is allegedly intending to represent the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) as its presidential candidate in next year’s presidential election, yesterday denied a report that he has been looking for a female running mate, while KMT chairman and New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) reiterated his intention not to run in the presidential race.
The media suggested that Wang is to run for president with incumbent KMT vice chairperson and former Chiayi City mayor Huang Min-hui (黃敏惠). Wang yesterday called the speculation “nonsense,” adding that he has not even entertained the idea of joining the race.
When questioned about a possible schedule on announcing his decision on whether to throw down the gauntlet, Wang said he wanted to focus on legislative affairs for now.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Responding to KMT spokesperson Yang Wei-chung’s (楊偉中) denial that Chu had informed Wang via a middleman that he would not run for president next year — a claim that Wang made on Wednesday — Wang refused to elaborate on the issue further, adding that he “respects Chu’s remarks” since it is possible that Chu had failed to receive prior notice.
Chu yesterday denied any “indirect communication,” saying that there would be “absolutely no need for a middleman between Wang [and himself] as they have always communicated directly with each other.”
“We could simply laugh when there are people, maybe unidentified, being fervent [about conveying messages],” Chu said.
When asked again about his possible presidential candidacy, Chu said that he would not join the race, adding that the media and the public “are both fully aware [that I will not run for president next year] as I have clearly stated my position many times in the past.”
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
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
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