Ending his final day of campaigning that took him from the south of the island to the north, independent candidate James Soong (
Yesterday's rallies, in Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taipei, used the title "Mobilizing the people to send Soong to the Presidential Office."
Soong also, for the first time, brought out his eldest son, Allen Soong (宋楚瑜), in addition to other members of his family, in what was seen as an attempt to play on the sentiments of family values.
At their final rally appearance in Taipei, the elder Soong was joined by his wife, Chen Wan-shui (
Campaigners said the purpose of the song was to encourage voters not to vote for someone who would "cause instability."
"I am giving up my `small love' [of the family] in order to give James Soong up to all the people, to allow all parents to be able to see their children grow up in peace and safety," Soong's wife said.
Throughout the rallies, the crowds -- which in Taipei drew what some estimated was as many as 300,000 people -- continued to shout: "Dump Lien, save Soong!"
Many more people gathered around the Taipei Municipal Stadium, apparently unable to get inside due to the huge crowd.
The "dump-save" slogans were matched by thousands of red flags, also bearing the words "Dump Lien and save Soong," along with Taiwan's national flag and tens of thousands of campaign flags.
The throng of supporters in the area made the final night of Soong's presidential campaign a sea of red flags.
"I will reform [Taiwan's] corrupt politics," Soong pledged to the crowd.
"I have been leading the race from the beginning," he said. "But the KMT is doing everything it can to push me down. The KMT can do this but it can never crack down on the resolution of Taiwan's people to fight for democracy."
The one surprise of the day came in Kaohsiung, when Soong's eldest son, Allen, who last December found himself involved in his father's financial scandal, appeared for the first time on the campaign platform, drawing a cheer from the crowd.
"I came back to show my support for my father," he said.
James Soong then said that three of five pieces of real estate in California owned his son -- which had been at the center of another scandal in February -- have already been sold.
Other star supporters at Soong's rally included former justice minister Liao Cheng-hao (廖正豪), who checked out of a Taipei hospital earlier in the day for the occasion, and former legislative speaker Liu Sung-fan (劉松藩).
Liao appealed to supporters not to be influenced by vote buyers.
"You can take their money, but vote for Soong," he said.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest foundry service provider, yesterday said that global semiconductor revenue is projected to hit US$1.5 trillion in 2030, after the figure exceeds US$1 trillion this year, as artificial intelligence (AI) demand boosts consumption of token and compute power. “We are still at the beginning of the AI revolution, but we already see a significant impact across the whole semiconductor ecosystem,” TSMC deputy cochief operating officer Kevin Zhang (張曉強) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “It is fair to say that in the past decade, smartphones and other mobile devices were
US-CHINA SUMMIT: MOFA welcomed US reassurance of no change in its Taiwan policy; Trump said he did not comment when Xi talked of opposing independence US President Donald Trump yesterday said he has not made a decision on whether to move forward with a major arms package for Taiwan after hearing concerns about it from Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Trump’s comments on Taiwan came as he flew back to Washington after wrapping up critical talks in which both leaders said important progress was made in stabilizing US-China relations even as deep differences persist between the world’s two biggest powers on Iran and Taiwan. “I will make a determination,” Trump said, adding: “I’ll be making decisions. But, you know, I think the last thing we need right
TAIWAN ISSUE: US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on the first day of meetings that ‘it wouldn’t be a US-China summit without the Taiwan issue coming up’ There were no surprises on the first day of the summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday, as the government reiterated that cross-strait stability is crucial to the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the world. As the two presidents met for a highly anticipated summit yesterday, Chinese state media reported that Xi warned Trump that missteps regarding Taiwan could push their two countries into “conflict.” Trump arrived in China with accolades for his host, calling Xi a “great leader” and “friend,” and extending an invitation to visit the White House
SECURITY: Taipei presses the US for arms supplies, saying the arms sales are not only a reflection of the US security commitment to Taiwan but also serve as a mutual deterrent against regional threats Taiwan is committed to preserving the cross-strait “status quo” and contributing to regional peace and stability, the Presidential Office said yesterday. “It is an undeniable fact that the Republic of China is a sovereign and independent democratic nation,” Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) reiterated, adding that Beijing has no right to claim sovereignty over Taiwan. The statements came after US President Donald Trump warned against Taiwanese independence. Trump wrapped up a state visit to Beijing on Friday, during which Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had pressed him not to support Taiwan. Taiwan depends heavily on US security backing to deter China from carrying
RSS