People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) has been quoted as saying that Beijing opposes him running for president because it fears it could dig into support for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), Beijing’s presumed favorite.
In an interview with the Chinese-language Next Magazine, published yesterday, Soong was quoted as saying that Beijing was worried his candidacy would hurt Ma’s chances against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and that in recent conversations it has put great pressure on him to withdraw.
“It is absurd to think that Beijing is not concerned with Taiwan’s elections,” Soong told the magazine. “We have communicated about this issue ... and certainly we have different opinions on [my candidacy].”
Soong has made several trips to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) since 2005 and is close to many senior Chinese figures.
PFP spokesman Wu Kun-yu (吳崑玉) said Beijing “disagreed with Soong’s candidacy,” but he would not elaborate further.
On Sept. 20, Soong announced that National Taiwan University professor emeritus Lin Ruey-shiung (林瑞雄) would be his running mate in the Jan. 14 presidential election. He expressed confidence he would be able to collect the 1 million signatures he said would enable him to join the race, far more than the 257,695 he needs to qualify.
The discrepancy has fed skepticism about Soong’s true motives, with many observers suggesting he is trying to pressure the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) into providing a number of safe legislative seats for his allies and that he has no real intention of following through on his run for the presidency.
Opinion polls give Ma a five to 10 point lead over Tsai. When Soong’s candidacy is factored into the mix, Soong receives about 10 percent to 15 percent of the total votes, eating into the support of his two rivals in roughly equal measure.
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