The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on Wednesday announced its list of nominees for next year’s local elections, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) being touted as a front-runner.
The DPP Central Standing Committee said after a meeting that special circumstances surrounding the party’s mayoral candidates might be resolved through a committee resolution.
Observers have said that the lack of a stipulation for the party’s candidate to be a DPP member indicates that it is preparing to support Ko for re-election.
Meanwhile, DPP Legislator Pasuya Yao (姚文智) informed President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of his plans to run as the party’s candidate for Taipei mayor, later telling reporters that she responded with a “mysterious smile.”
He declined to comment on the meaning behind the president’s smile.
“Four year ago, Mayor Ko was still in the basement of the National Taiwan University Hospital. The real list of nominees will become available in the spring next year,” Yao said.
The DPP is being pragmatic and responsible, Yao said in an interview, but added that he plans to move forward with his bid to run for mayor.
The party is trying to remain flexible, he said, adding that it is still early in the electoral process.
Yao said he brought up his intention to run for Taipei mayor with Tsai at a funeral for a party member’s father.
Knowing that policy is important to the president, Yao said that he also shared with her his development ideas for the city’s revival, adding that legislative progress is being made on urban development through ordinances he is working on.
Asked if he would feel wronged if he is overlooked as the party’s candidate in favor of supporting a re-election bid by Ko, Yao said that after he is done with legislative efforts on urban development, he will strive to become the favored candidate.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai