New Taipei City Mayor and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday reiterated that the party’s mechanism for the selection of its candidates for next year’s legislative election would be open and transparent, in an effort to assuage growing concerns over his recent decision to establish a “campaign strategy committee” to replace the party’s primary system.
“Openness and transparency will be ensured [in the party’s candidate selection process]. We will handle the matter in a flexible and strategic manner,” Chu said on the sidelines of a tree-planting event in New Taipei City’s Shihding District (石碇) yesterday.
The two-term New Taipei City mayor made the remarks four days after the KMT’s Central Standing Committee passed an impromptu motion to establish a seven-member “legislative election campaign strategy committee” to help the party win a potentially cutthroat battle in next year’s legislative election.
The committee is tasked with overseeing the nomination and campaign strategies for all of the party’s legislative candidates for regional and Aboriginal seats in the legislature, as well as compiling its list of legislator-at-large nominees.
Chu said that every political party has its own stronghold constituencies.
“In constituencies where more than one party member is planning to compete for the candidacy, there must be negotiations and a primary, while in more difficult ones, the party has to select a candidate. That is why the committee is needed,” Chu said.
Turning to the heatedly discussed issue of creating a “nuclear-free homeland” by 2025, Chu said that the key to reaching the goal still lies in energy conservation.
“It is apparent that the country is wasting energy and it is extremely vital that we figure out a way for industries and families to use energy in a more efficient manner,” Chu said.
He said there were three measures that could help Taiwan follow in South Korea’s footsteps to successfully save energy equivalent to the capacity of a nuclear power plant: offering guidance to traditional industries with high energy consumption; building smart grids; and further promoting energy-efficient lighting options to schools and households.
The issue of a potential visit to the US by Chu was also brought up yesterday, given that Democratic Progressive Party Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) — who has registered in the party’s primary for next year’s presidential election — revealed on Saturday that she plans to visit Washington later this year.
However, Chu, who is considered a likely presidential candidate to represent the KMT in next year’s race, said such a visit did not necessarily have to happen this year, adding that a more stabilized Taiwan-US relationship required long-term interactions.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS