Renowned Taiwanese chef Cheng Yen-chi (鄭衍基), better known as A-chi-shih (阿基師), yesterday dismissed speculation that he had sex with a woman he was photographed with entering a motel, saying that they had merely “hugged and had mouth-to-mouth contact.”
Cheng made the remarks at a press conference in Taipei yesterday afternoon, during which he bowed deeply to a large group of reporters before acknowledging that everything reported by the Chinese-language Next Magazine was true.
The 60-year-old chef-turned-TV personality was referring to an article in yesterday’s edition of the magazine, which alleges that Cheng arrived outside the WeGo Motel on Taipei’s Linsen N Road on a motorcycle at approximately 8pm on Dec. 2 before hopping into a black car being driven by a long-haired, middle-aged woman.
Photo: Chen I-chuan, Taipei Times
The article said that the pair then drove into the Bellezza Taipei Hotel in Zhongshan District (中山) and stayed there for nearly 40 minutes, adding that the woman subsequently dropped Cheng off where he had parked his motorcycle.
The magazine added that it was not the first time Cheng has been spotted entering a motel with the woman, alleging that they also spent 30 minutes at the WeGo Motel on Nov. 20.
“The woman pictured by Next Magazine’s paparazzi is a 40-year-old fan of my cooking show, surnamed Chen (陳)... I became acquainted with her after she started asking me about my cooking skills in private ... because as a worker in the service sector for decades, I do not turn down my customers’ requests without good reason,” Cheng told the press conference.
Cheng, who was once voted the nation’s most eligible bachelor, said he gradually established an emotional bond with Chen and began helping her deal with distress caused by financial issues.
The chef said he met with Chen on Dec. 2 to “enlighten her on her problems,” but she then drove him into the Bellezza without consulting him first, saying she wanted to talk in a quieter place.
“We did not go into the room and stayed in the car the whole time, but I have to admit that we did hug and had mouth-to-mouth contact when we were overwhelmed with emotions,” Cheng said.
Cheng said his wife was informed of every meeting they had, and he even told her that Chen was rather passionate about him, adding that he did not harbor any “dirty thoughts” about Chen despite her addressing him as “Dear hubby” in several text messages.
He then apologized to the public and urged Chen to stand on her own feet from now on because his kindness in helping her put him in an awkward predicament.
“I am innocent and both my wife and daughters are very supportive of me. [One of] my daughters called me this morning, telling me that she supports me because [she knows] her father is not a playboy,” Cheng said.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
A group affiliated with indicted Chinese immigrant Xu Chunying (徐春鶯) is to be dissolved for monitoring Chinese immigrants in Taiwan, a source said yesterday. Xu, the secretary-general of the Cross-Strait Marriage and Family Service Alliance, was indicted on March 24 on charges of violating the Anti-Infiltration Act (反滲透法). The alliance “illegally monitored" Chinese immigrants living in Taiwan on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Ministry of the Interior is expected to dissolve the organization in the coming days under provisions of the Civil Associations Act (人民團體法), the source said. Xu, who married a Taiwanese in 1993 and became a Republic
RSS