Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate and Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) yesterday accused President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration of causing “unspeakable suffering” to Taiwanese.
There must be peaceful exchanges across the Taiwan Strait to facilitate the flow of people and goods, which would make Taiwan richer, Han said.
He called on his supporters to vote the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) out of the Presidential Office and the Legislative Yuan in next year’s elections.
Photo: Liu Pin-chuan, Taipei Times
Han made the remarks in a meeting at the Nantou County Council.
While Taiwan’s exports are subjected to a 10 percent tariff, the nation’s main competitor, South Korea, enjoys preferential taxes on 70 percent of its exports via a free-trade arrangement it negotiated with the UK and other nations, Han said, without elaborating.
“Our products are sold at higher prices and we lost Chinese tourists not traveling in group tours,” he said. “Without people coming in or goods going out, the economy cannot grow.”
“The elite residents of Nantou must unite for their children’s sake and vote the DPP out of office to allow Taiwan to have a future,” he said.
In response to requests for comment on remarks by former KMT legislator Chen Hung-chang (陳宏昌) that Han spent his time as a lawmaker “boozing, partying and womanizing,” Han said he did smoke, drink and play mahjong at the legislature.
“However, that was Han Kuo-yu from 10 or 20 years ago, not the man I am now,” Han said. “Chen was remembering the old Han and if he wants to I can prove it to him that I have changed.”
Chen, a KMT member and head of New Taipei City’s Younglian Temple (湧蓮寺), made the comment during Tsai’s visit to his temple earlier yesterday.
KMT New Taipei City chapter head Lee Chien-lung (李乾龍) said that Chen’s remarks were inappropriate and a disciplinary meeting would convene today to discuss possible disciplinary action.
“While the party expects Chen to greet the guests to his temple, it was inappropriate for a member of the party’s Central Supervisory Committee to criticize Han and elevate Tsai,” Lee said.
Additional reporting by Chen Hsin-yu
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