Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) appeared together in public for the first time yesterday amid speculation that they are planning to team up against Taiwan’s two major parties in next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
The three influential figures sat together at a concert in Taipei that commemorated the 61st anniversary of the start of the 823 Artillery Bombardment in Kinmen County, and afterward posed for photographs, taking turns to stand in the middle of their group.
Speaking to reporters after the concert, Ko said that their first public appearance was “just the beginning.”
Photo: CNA
He did not elaborate.
On the question of whether the trio have worked out an election strategy, Ko did not give a direct answer, saying only that he wanted to provide voters with a viable alternative.
“I do not want to see the upcoming elections characterized by fear and hate campaigns,” he said.
On Aug. 6, Ko formed the Taiwan People’s Party and pledged to support Gou if he ran for president next year, but 10 days later the mayor said he would consider running himself if Gou did not enter the race.
After the concert yesterday, Tsai Chin-yu (蔡沁瑜), one of Gou’s aides, said that an alliance with Ko and Wang would combine the strengths and expertise of the three men and offer people an alternative to the Democratic Progressive Party and the KMT.
Asked whether Gou intended to run for president, Tsai sidestepped the question, saying that Gou could have been enjoying life after retirement, but rather has been thinking about what would be “best for Taiwan.”
Gou has no immediate plans to meet with Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who beat him in the KMT primary, she added.
Separately yesterday, KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said he plans to meet with Gou when the time is right.
Regarding the reports that Gou could run for president as an independent, Wu said: “It is going to be rather troublesome” as the KMT has already nominated Han as its presidential candidate.
Wang — who served as legislative speaker for 17 years — pulled out of the KMT’s presidential primary in June, but said that he would “run in the election come what may.”
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS