Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that Taiwanese baseball has inspired him to be persistent, as well as confident of the possibility of turning defeat into victory.
“One reason baseball is so entertaining is that the players always endeavor to stick it out to the end. Oftentimes they manage to turn the table on their competitors at the last minute, usually in the bottom of the ninth inning,” Chu said in a morning interview with Asia FM radio.
Baseball is not a one-person sport, but requires teamwork, Chu said, adding that the players’ unwavering perseverance has been an inspiration.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
“I have learned to never give up, to take the necessary risks to win and to seek victory amid defeat. This is the spirit of Taiwan. We stick with it to the end and never quit,” he said.
Chu’s comments came after the Lamigo Monkeys won the CPBL Taiwan Series on Sunday, despite falling behind 3-1 early in the series.
The Monkeys won the last three games of the series.
Chu, who is KMT chairman, continues to lag behind Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in public opinion polls.
A survey released yesterday by the Taiwan Thinktank showed Tsai’s support ratings at 48.1 percent, Chu’s at 16.3 percent and People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong’s (宋楚瑜) at 10.4 percent.
Given the hypothesis of Soong dropping out of the Jan. 16 election, 50.9 percent of respondents supported Tsai, compared with 20 percent for Chu.
The results are similar to those of a SET-TV poll released on Oct. 18, which showed Tsai with a support rate of 41.6 percent, Chu with 20.7 percent and Soong with 10.1 percent.
Chu said the election would be a tough battle, but he believes his achievements as Taoyuan County commissioner and New Taipei City mayor would help tilt the race in his favor.
“I will definitely turn defeat into victory,” he said.
Asked to comment on a court ruling announced yesterday that orders former minister of finance Christina Liu (劉憶如) to pay Tsai NT$2 million (US$61,200) compensation for damaging her reputation during the 2012 presidential campaign, Chu said he has always spurned negative campaign tactics.
He said he encourages everyone to take a positive approach when campaigning.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
RSS