KMT lawmakers yesterday advised Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presumptive presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) to focus on internal affairs and economic policies.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said the lunchtime discussion was about public policy.
“I told her that a nation’s leader is unworthy of the title if they cannot provide young people with a vision, make housing affordable and encourage them to have children,” Lo said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“[Hung] agreed, so she should now begin to work on issues concerning the economy, internal affairs and how to enhance people’s well-being, including by narrowing the wealth gap,” Lo said.
“Hung was humble and polite, stressing that she would like lawmakers to offer their opinions, as she is not so familiar with financial and economic issues,” KMT Legislator Lai Shih-bao (賴士葆) said.
Lai said that he found Hung to be “more knowledgeable than I expected,” adding that he has faith in her.
Lo said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) should be included in a proposed campaign tactic.
KMT Legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖) on Friday said that Hung should form an “iron triangle” with KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to promote the party in the run-up to next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
However, Lo said the strategy should be a “pentagon,” adding that “victory would only eventuate if all five angles are solid and stable.”
Lo called on Hung to help resolve tensions between Ma and Wang.
Hung said Wang “has always been an asset to the party,” adding that the media should not “make a fuss about [the supposed Ma-Wang row].”
Hung shunned questions about her “one China, same interpretation” proposal for cross-strait relations after being asked about reports from KMT lawmakers that she had promised to drop the term.
“The proposal was simply a return to the party’s political platform, which is consolidation of the [so-called] 1992 consensus,” Hung said, referring to a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 — a tacit understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“You guys [journalists] are never able to correctly understand my remarks,” she said.
“It is not that I look down on [your ability to comprehend], but [I could not explain my ideas completely] in the short time we have,” she said.
“Let us simply say that [my policy] is to return to the party’s platform and maintain stable and long-term peace for Taiwan,” Hung said.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS