Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) yesterday expressed confidence that she would secure victory in next year’s presidential race, saying her campaign’s polls showed her support rating trailing that of her Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) rival Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) by only a small margin.
Hung made the remarks at an event at KMT headquarters in Taipei yesterday morning attended by several Taiwanese businesspeople based overseas who support the deputy legislative speaker.
“The media have assumed that my opponent [Tsai] could win the election lying down,” Hung said.
Photo: CNA
“Despite this, I am confident and do not believe their assumptions are necessarily aligned with reality, as internal polls conducted by my campaign team suggest the two of us are closely matched,” she said.
Hung said on the sidelines of the event that the polls indicated the support ratings of all three candidates have shown some ups and downs.
The latest poll showed Tsai just 7 percentage points ahead of her, Hung added.
Asked whether the poll results had given her confidence a boost, Hung said she did not experience any major mood swings because she “has always remained confident.”
“I am certain that each step I have taken and every effort I have made would not go unnoticed in the eyes of my supporters,” she said.
“That is why there is no need to be bothered by outside disturbances,” Hung said.
According to a survey released by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) on Thursday, Tsai held a commanding lead among the candidates with 44.75 percent support.
People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) had 13.76 percent support, while Hung was at 12.13 percent, the Liberty Times survey showed.
A Taiwan Thinktank poll on Monday last week yielded similar results, showing Tsai having 47.6 percent support, against Hung’s 16.3 percent and Soong’s 13.9 percent.
Hung said her supporters overseas were a vital source of strength who have kept her from collapsing and motivated her to keep going.
“Cross-strait relations are of great importance and I hope they can be brought to the next level based on the 1992 consensus,” Hung said.
The so-called “1992 consensus” is a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted making up in 2000 referring to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Beijing that both sides acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
She said she does not favor rapid unification with China as the public has assumed, but is guided by the Republic of China Constitution.
Tsai said later on the sidelines of a World Taiwanese Chambers Union trade forum in Taipei that she had not seen the “internal polls” Hung referred to and that she respected her statements.
Tsai said the results mentioned by Hung were “slightly discrepant” from those shown in surveys carried out by her campaign office.
As to whether there was a hint of competition between her and Hung given that both of them met with Taiwanese businesspeople yesterday, Tsai said the event she attended was simply a platform for her to exchange opinions with overseas entrepreneurs who had returned home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.
“Many of them are leaders among Taiwanese businesspeople based in Southeast Asian countries. Hopefully their support could help me get elected president,” Tsai said.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS