Amid the current presidential election hype, the front runners dare not rest on weekends. And true to form, they once again took time yesterday to further boost the momentum of their campaigns.
KMT presidential candidate Lien Chan (
Lien slammed Soong's so-called "quasi-international relationships" statement, dismissing the theory as "degrading to our [Taiwan's] status."
"Nobody understands the meaning of either the `quasi-international ties' or `mutually exclusive sovereignty' as proposed by Soong. Such rhetoric merely belittles our own status,'' Lien said.
Lien then took aim at Chen, saying that electing Chen as president would be tantamount to "requesting a ghost to heal the old cross-strait rift.''
"Chen not only advocates the formulation of a new Taiwan Constitution, but cries `Long live Taiwan independence,' too, which would only lead to cross-strait tensions. Chen appears to have guts, but there is no doubt that he lacks strategy,'' Lien said.
Lien also appealed to his supporters, saying: "We can't choose a loser like Soong or a fighting cock like Chen to be the leader. Only the KMT's diligent ticket -- Lien and Premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) -- can deliver prosperity to Taiwan."
Meanwhile, Chen used the opening of his campaign office in Taichung County to footnote President Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) remarks last Saturday about the shifting of power, as he urged the KMT to transfer rule to the DPP as a way of fulfilling Lee's hopes of witnessing a peaceful transition of power.
With just a few months to go before he steps down as president, Lee recently said that he is happy to have the chance to be the first leader in modern Chinese history to hand over power while still alive.
Chen added a new twist to Lee's comments, saying: "Lee said he wished to transfer power peacefully. Another term for this is the rotation of power among parties. Only in doing so, can the Taiwanese eliminate so-called `black-gold' politics.''
Lien and Chen both took advantage of the establishment of new local campaign offices to rope in some grassroots organization leaders to boost their presidential bids. Both scored some points in this regard.
The DPP's Taichung County-elected legislator Lin Feng-hsi (林豐喜), who is considered a loyal follower to former DPP chairman and independent contender Hsu Hsing-liang (許信良), vowed yesterday to put his weight behind Chen.
"I am bound to Hsu in personal affection. But back on the party business level, I must help Chen to win the office of president,'' Lin said.
In comparison with DPP officials, Lien's campaign officials said the vice president is satisfied with the support he has garnered from local factions.
"Local faction leaders, including newly-installed Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Jung-wei (
In contrast to Lien and Chen, the two independent candidates -- Soong and Hsu -- yesterday attended a Hakka rally in Taipei County.
"If I am elected president, I will set up a Hakka affairs committee in an effort to take care of the Hakka people,'' Soong said.
Pro-Soong independent legislator Robert Hsu (
‘CROWN JEWEL’: Washington ‘can delay and deter’ Chinese President Xi Jinping’s plans for Taiwan, but it is ‘a very delicate situation there,’ the secretary of state said US President Donald Trump is opposed to any change to Taiwan’s “status quo” by force or extortion and would maintain that policy, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Hugh Hewitt Show host on Wednesday. The US’ policy is to maintain Taiwan’s “status quo” and to oppose any changes in the situation by force or extortion, Rubio said. Hewitt asked Rubio about the significance of Trump earlier this month speaking with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) at the White House, a meeting that Hewitt described as a “big deal.” Asked whether the meeting was an indication of the
‘RELATIVELY STRONG LANGUAGE’: An expert said the state department has not softened its language on China and was ‘probably a little more Taiwan supportive’ China’s latest drills near Taiwan on Monday were “brazen and irresponsible threats,” a US Department of State spokesperson said on Tuesday, while reiterating Washington’s decades-long support of Taipei. “China cannot credibly claim to be a ‘force for stability in a turbulent world’ while issuing brazen and irresponsible threats toward Taiwan,” the unnamed spokesperson said in an e-mailed response to media queries. Washington’s enduring commitment to Taiwan will continue as it has for 45 years and the US “will continue to support Taiwan in the face of China’s military, economic, informational and diplomatic pressure campaign,” the e-mail said. “Alongside our international partners, we firmly
KAOHSIUNG CEREMONY: The contract chipmaker is planning to build 5 fabs in the southern city to gradually expand its 2-nanometer chip capacity Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday confirmed that it plans to hold a ceremony on March 31 to unveil a capacity expansion plan for its most advanced 2-nanometer chips in Kaohsiung, demonstrating its commitment to further investment at home. The ceremony is to be hosted by TSMC cochief operating officer Y.P. Chyn (秦永沛). It did not disclose whether Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) and high-ranking government officials would attend the ceremony. More details are to be released next week, it said. The chipmaker’s latest move came after its announcement earlier this month of an additional US$100 billion
Authorities yesterday elaborated on the rules governing Employment Gold Cards after a US cardholder was barred from entering Taiwan for six years after working without a permit during a 2023 visit. American YouTuber LeLe Farley was barred after already being approved for an Employment Gold Card, he said in a video published on his channel on Saturday. Farley, who has more than 420,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, was approved for his Gold Card last month, but was told at a check-in counter at the Los Angeles International Airport that he could not enter Taiwan. That was because he previously participated in two
RSS