The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged Hualien County residents to vote against the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate in the by-election for Hualien mayor, saying it would serve as a vote of confidence in President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration, which it said has devastated the nation’s tourism industry with a refusal to face the so-called “1992 consensus.”
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, KMT Culture and Communications Committee director Chow Chi-wai (周志偉) said Tsai’s reluctance to accept the “1992 consensus” has caused cross-strait relations to run aground.
The “1992 consensus,” a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) admitted to making up in 2000, refers to a supposed understanding between the KMT and the Chinese government that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Chow said stalled cross-strait ties have taken a toll on the tourism industry, the effects of which are particularly felt by Hualien residents.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee deputy director-general Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) said bad policy is worse than corruption, citing what he said was former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) closed-door policy that led to a slowdown in tourism and many other industries.
“According to statistics compiled by the Hualien Home Stay Association, bed-and-breakfast establishments aimed at Chinese tourists have seen bookings decline by 50 percent, and occupancy rates drop to 30 percent,” Hung said, accusing Tsai of attaching no importance to people’s livelihoods.
Statistics from the Hualien Tourism Department showed that the number of tourists to the county between May and last month has been on the decline, Hung said.
Urging the tourism department to come up with responsive measures, Hung also called on Tsai to take concrete actions if she does not want to be judged by her short-term performance.
Saturday’s by-election is to vote for a successor to former Hualien mayor Tien Chih-hsuan (田智宣), who died of lung cancer in May aged 56.
Tien’s widow, Chang Mei-hui (張美慧), is running as the DPP’s candidate against the KMT’s Wei Chia-hsien (魏嘉賢). Three former KMT members are running as independents after being expelled by the KMT because they insisted on running in the by-election.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS