Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was trailing his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) counterpart by 18 percentage points, the latest survey conducted by the Chinese-language China Times regarding support for presidential candidates published yesterday showed.
The results showed that 38.9 percent of respondents said they would vote for DPP presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), 21.8 percent for Chu and 8.8 percent for People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜).
If a “pan-blue integration” were to occur, meaning that Soong withdraws from the race, both Tsai and Chu’s support would increase, with respondents supporting Tsai rising to 45.7 percent and Chu to 27 percent.
Photo: Chen Wei-tsung, Taipei Times
“It shows that Tsai is almost guaranteed to win the presidential election,” the newspaper said.
The poll also found that 47 percent of voters have concerns over the possibility of the DPP winning both the presidency and a legislative majority, while 23.9 percent were in favor of the DPP having a complete victory.
In response to the results of the survey, Chu said that the numbers were due to him having only just begun his campaign.
“A significant amount of pan-blue supporters still cannot forgive us, as they are harboring grudges. We have to continue to work hard to gain their support,” he said.
“The DPP started to act after I stepped into the ring, resorting to tricks such as lawsuits, mudslinging and legislative boycotts to avoid a fair competition,” added Chu, who was in New Taipei City stumping for a KMT legislative candidate.
“Those are tricks from 20 to 30 years ago, and the DPP is still using them. It shows a lack of confidence in a party that wants to govern the nation. As I see it, the DPP would be best left as a perpetual opposition party,” Chu said.
The China Times survey was completed on Thursday through the collection of 716 valid questionnaires, with a confidence level of 95 percent and a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS