Retired army general Yu Pei-chen (于北辰) on Friday said that he was leaving the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and voiced his support for the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), who is to run in a by-election on Sunday next week.
Yu made the announcement during an appearance on a talk show. The by-election is to fill Taichung’s second electoral district seat, left vacant following the recall of former legislator Chen Po-wei (陳柏惟) of the Taiwan Statebuilding Party in October last year.
Yu said he supported justice, the Republic of China and the Republic of China Army, and not a local faction.
Photo: Lee Jung-ping, Taipei Times
KMT by-election candidate Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) yesterday accused Yu of “selling out his soul” for NT$3,000 — the fee for attending the talk show — and said that regardless of ideology, political parties must have a core idea that defines them.
“Without that central core, political parties are not that different from chain convenience stores,” he added.
Yu yesterday said that Yen, coming from a wealthy family, should not insult convenience store workers, who he said have to work hard for a living.
Lin thanked Yu for his support, saying that regardless of Yu’s previous party affiliation, she and Yu now agree “that we must resist the Chinese Communist Party [CCP] and protect Taiwan together.”
Yu had been a loyal KMT member for more than 30 years and hoped the party could change, Lin said, adding that Yen’s criticism of a former party member was unnecessary.
Yu had previously said that the KMT’s insistence on the so-called “1992 consensus” was detached from reality.
Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said that Yu might have some misunderstandings about cross-strait relations, adding that he would gladly clarify the issues to Yu if given the chance.
The “1992 consensus” — a term former Mainland Affairs Council chairman Su Chi (蘇起) in 2006 admitted making up in 2000 — refers to a tacit understanding between the KMT and the CCP that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge that there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
BACK TO NORMAL? The move would be part of a gradual easing of curbs monitored by the CECC, which would retain the quarantine mandate if case numbers rise again The Cabinet yesterday approved a plan to next month reopen Taiwan’s borders to all visitors and lift the quarantine mandate for arrivals, provided the nation’s COVID-19 situation does not escalate. The changes are likely to take effect on Oct. 13 as part of a phased easing of border controls that is to start on Thursday next week when a negative polymerase chain reaction test result would no longer be needed, Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) told a news conference. Arriving travelers would instead be given four rapid antigen home test kits, Lo said. The three-day quarantine requirement followed by four days of mandatory
‘NO SURRENDER’: A blockade or outlying island seizure would be an act of war, and China’s drills last month have emboldened Taipei in its response plans, an official said The Republic of China Army Command Headquarters has agreed to purchase 5,000 Kestrel close-range anti-armor missiles worth NT$400 million (US$12.63 million) from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, according to the military’s latest arms purchase bid notice. The army asked the institute to complete the order within 13 months, a military source said on condition of anonymity. Kestrel missiles are designed to penetrate armored vehicles and are used in anti-surface warfare, as they feature optical sights and night vision, and can be operated in all weather conditions. The missile has a 400m range, or a 150m range when used for breaching brick
IF THE CHIPS ARE DOWN: The US secretary of state warned that a disruption to the supply of Taiwanese semiconductors would play havoc with the global economy If Taiwan were attacked, the global economy would face devastation, as that is where most of the world’s semiconductors are produced, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday. In an interview that aired on the 60 Minutes television program, Blinken was asked whether instability across the Taiwan Strait would be felt around the world. Blinken said that China has been increasingly aggressive against Taiwan, posing a threat to peace and stability in the region, while economically the world would feel the effects of such aggression. Blinken was interviewed for the program after meeting with Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi
‘ABSURD’: UN Resolution 2758 expelled the Chiang Kai-Shek government without mentioning Taipei, something the Chinese minister did not acknowledge, Taipei said Taiwan yesterday criticized Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) for “intentionally misinterpreting” a 1971 UN resolution to misrepresent Taiwan’s status to the global community. In his address on Saturday to the UN General Assembly, Wang cited Resolution 2758 as a basis for Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is part of China. He said that Beijing considers Taiwan an “inseparable part of China’s territory since ancient times.” “Only when China is completely reunified can there be enduring peace across the Taiwan Strait... Any move to obstruct China’s reunification is bound to be crushed by the wheels of history,” Wang said. General Assembly Resolution 2758
RSS