Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) is open to collaborating with anyone, including People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), in the campaign for next year’s presidential election, Gou’s office spokeswoman said yesterday.
“Mr Soong’s abilities and charisma are widely recognized,” Yonglin Foundation deputy chief executive Evelyn Tsai (蔡沁瑜) said. “We are open to cooperating with any political parties, groups or individuals. As long as we share the same values and goals, we would love to hear their thoughts.”
Tsai made the remarks during an interview in Taipei when asked to confirm a report by Chinese-language media outlet ET Today saying that Gou is considering cooperating with Soong ahead of the January elections.
Receiving support from the PFP, in addition to Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) Taiwan People’s Party, would help Gou control the Legislative Yuan as an independent president, the report said.
Soong’s close ties with former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) could also help the tycoon win over some of Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu’s (韓國瑜) hardline supporters, as Soong served as Chiang’s secretary for 14 years, it said.
Asked if Soong’s stance on cross-strait issues contradicts Gou’s, as Xinhua news agency earlier this year reported that the PFP chairman supports Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework, Tsai said that she would not comment on Soong’s stance.
Gou has made it clear that he believes the framework has failed in Hong Kong, she said, adding that he would collaborate with anyone as long as it would benefit Taiwan.
The two camps have not made any contact so far, she added.
PFP Organization Department director Chang Sho-wen (張碩文) said that the party would be happy to cooperate with other political parties, as it has limited power on its own.
To defeat the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Democratic Progressive Party, third parties must find a shared core value that resonates with independent voters, he said.
Asked if the party has discussed collaborating with Gou, Ko or KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), Chang said that its aides have made contact, but there have not yet been any formal discussions.
The PFP would begin nominating its legislative candidates late next month, he said, adding that Soong has been urged by many supporters to run for president himself, although he has no plans to do so.
Asked to comment on the possibility of Soong joining forces with Gou, Han’s Taipei campaign office director Cheng Shih-wei (鄭世維) said that people would make their own judgements about the candidates based on their platforms.
The campaign office would work to win more support by offering better policy plans, he added.
In other developments, the KMT Central Standing Committee yesterday passed regulations to revoke the membership of those who stand in presidential and legislative elections without the party’s nomination.
Under the regulations, members who help such candidates’ campaigns would have their party membership suspended for up to two years.
The KMT next month or in November would discipline any member who registers as a presidential candidate without the party’s nomination, KMT Disciplinary Committee director Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) said.
According to the Central Election Commission, to qualify as an independent, a prospective presidential candidate must register by Sept. 17 to begin a petition drive that must collect at least 280,384 signatures by Nov. 2.
Additional reporting by Lin Liang-sheng and CNA
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
Temperatures are forecast to drop steadily as a continental cold air mass moves across Taiwan, with some areas also likely to see heavy rainfall, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. From today through early tomorrow, a cold air mass would keep temperatures low across central and northern Taiwan, and the eastern half of Taiwan proper, with isolated brief showers forecast along Keelung’s north coast, Taipei and New Taipei City’s mountainous areas and eastern Taiwan, it said. Lows of 11°C to 15°C are forecast in central and northern Taiwan, Yilan County, and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties, and 14°C to 17°C
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
STEERING FAILURE: The first boat of its class is experiencing teething issues as it readies for acceptance by the navy, according to a recent story about rudder failure The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first locally built submarine, allegedly suffered a total failure of stern hydraulic systems during the second round of sea acceptance trials on June 26, and sailors were forced to manually operate the X-rudder to turn the submarine and return to port, news Web site Mirror Daily reported yesterday. The report said that tugboats following the Hai Kun assisted the submarine in avoiding collisions with other ships due to the X-rudder malfunctioning. At the time of the report, the submarine had completed its trials and was scheduled to begin diving and surfacing tests in shallow areas. The X-rudder,
RSS