Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Vice Chairman and party chair hopeful Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday said that he will recruit former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) spokeswoman Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) as his campaign spokesperson, sparking rumors that Ma is supporting Hau’s bid in the five-way chairmanship election
Hau’s office yesterday said Hau has requested permission from Ma’s office to enlist Hsu’s services during the KMT chairmanship campaign, adding that Hsu is to work for Hau’s campaign on a part-time basis until the election is over.
Hau yesterday said that he has known Hsu for a long time, adding that he feels the KMT needs a young and talented member like Hsu to show the public that the party has changed.
Photo: Chu Pei-der, Taipei Times
Ma’s office yesterday said that he is not supporting any candidate, adding that permission was granted in the hope that talented party members use any opportunity to hone their skills.
“I hope that all candidates will put the party ahead of their personal interests. Only in this way can we win back the hearts of the public,” Ma said.
Meanwhile, former vice president Wu Den-yih (吳敦義), who is also running for KMT chairman, yesterday responded to concerns that Ma could influence the election through him, saying that it is normal for people within the party to have worked with Ma.
Wu said that many people who worked for him during his terms as party secretary-general and vice president had previously worked with Ma.
KMT Chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), who is running for re-election, said she does not believe Ma has thrown his support behind Hau’s chairmanship bid.
Hung said Hau was just taking the opportunity to work with a talented spokeswoman, adding that she regrets not recruiting Hsu for her campaign.
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
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
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