Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential hopeful Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), in response to Time magazine’s description of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as the likely winner of January’s election, said yesterday it was because the US has little understanding of her, as, unlike Tsai, she has only recently emerged as a candidate.
After Tsai made it onto the cover of Time, Hung congratulated her adversary in a radio interview yesterday and said it was “good” that she appeared on the cover.
When asked about the magazine referring to Tsai as possibly the nation’s next leader, Hung said it was because Tsai has been preparing for the presidential election for years and the US has a good understanding of her.
Photo: Lin Meng-ting, Taipei Times
Hung said that not only the US, but even the Chinese government is probably at a loss about how she has become a contender for president.
“[The magazine] said that only because they do not know me at all,” Hung said.
Hung also criticized what Tsai calls a “new model” of economic development — which is to lessen the nation’s dependence on China by building global ties and championing local brands — saying a candidate who is aiming to be a nation’s leader should refrain from using “adjectives” and provide concrete policies.
Later yesterday, Hung also reiterated her thoughts on visiting the US before the election, doubting it was necessary and saying that she would want to use the time to campaign in Taiwan, “where the votes are.”
“Visiting the US before the election is a convention created by [former president] Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who went there because [Washington] had misgivings about the DPP taking over the presidential office, but many of the KMT’s policies are consistent with those of the US, which has a good understanding of the KMT. That’s why I’m not planning a visit,” Hung said.
Separately yesterday, Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), who on Thursday seemed poised to throw his support behind Hung, but later the same day turned down Hung’s offer to be chief executive of her campaign headquarters, said he declined the offer because the speaker needs to remain neutral and he has a packed schedule.
“I have Hung’s understanding and acceptance [of the decision],” Wang said.
Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was vague yesterday on whether the party’s charter would be amended so that Wang could remain legislative speaker.
Hung said on Thursday that the party’s charter would not be revised and that if Wang wanted to stay on as legislative speaker (and therefore a legislator) he could only do so by running in the legislative elections, as the charter stipulates that legislators-at-large can only be re-elected once.
“We should respect the speaker’s [decision]; the KMT’s nominations will be made in accordance with the set regulations,” Chu said.
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor