The Presidential Office yesterday denied that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wanted to return to the chairmanship of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) after Saturday’s elections.
A story in the latest issue of Chinese-language Next Magazine, published yesterday, said that Ma wanted to return to the KMT’s top post and would seek the seat in accordance with the party’s regulations.
The magazine said that since KMT Chairman and presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) would have to resign if the KMT loses at the polls, Ma who is “chairman ex officio” according to the KMT’s constitution, could return to the position as Chu was elected to the job in January last year only to fill the rest of Ma’s term after he resigned as chairman on Dec. 3, 2014, to take responsibility for the party’s poor showing in the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 29.
Presidential Office spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) said Ma has no intention of returning to the KMT chairmanship and there is no regulation in the party’s constitution concerning such a return.
“That is not a possibility,” Chen said.
People should stop circulating such rumors as the president had already made it clear during a visit to Nantou County on Nov. 24 last year that such speculation was unfounded, he said.
The magazine cited a source in the pan-blue camp as saying that Ma that has sought support from Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), via Hon Hai Precision Industry Co chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘), for a return to the chairmanship.
According to the Next story, Gou said that National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Yu Zhengsheng (俞正聲) has voiced his support for Ma’s return as KMT chairman because Beijing does not wish to see the KMT crumble after the elections.
The story said that Beijing has asked former vice president and former KMT chairman Lien Chan (連戰) to feel out Wang’s attitude over the matter, but has not received an answer.
Chen was not the only one to dismiss the magazine story, Hon Hai did as well.
And when Wang was asked by reporters whether he would support Ma’s re-election, he said: “[Let’s] talk about it later.”
Chu’s campaign manager, former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡自強), said the possibility of Ma’s return “is extremely slim,” adding that Ma resigned as chairman due to the [2014] election rout so “I think it would be difficult for him to come back.”
Additional reporting by CNA
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it