A high-level source from the Presidential Office said yesterday that while cooperation between the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) over the elections for speaker and vice speaker of the Legislative Yuan remains uncertain, the "pan-green" camp will consider nominating its own candidates for the posts if the two parties collaborate.
The incumbent speaker, the KMT's Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), is the most popular candidate for the post. The KMT, PFP, DPP and TSU have all indicated their support for Wang's retention, though not without conditions.
Local Chinese-language media reports said yesterday that KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
The official, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Taipei Times the Presidential Office believes that the media reports are unsubstantiated.
Soong confirmed yesterday that the meeting with Lien took place but said they had not reached a conclusion on cooperation.
The source added that the Presidential Office would be busy during the coming week with arrangements for the Cabinet shuffle, and that the president would therefore not turn his attention to the elections for speaker and deputy speaker until those arrangements were complete.
DPP lawmaker Chen Chi-mai (
But Chen said that if the KMT and the PFP had indeed decided to cooperate, the DPP will change its strategy and consider naming its own candidates for both posts.
"It all depends on Wang's attitude," Chen said.
The speakership and vice speakership elections will be on Feb. 1, the first day of the new legislative session.
DPP lawmakers Shen Fu-hsiung (
DPP legislative whip Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said that once the DPP has decided which candidates to support, it will wholeheartedly promote the candidate among its legislators. "We will decide the party's candidates at a party meeting to be arranged as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, the TSU said that if the KMT cooperates with the PFP, it will withdraw its support for Wang. For the deputy speaker post, the TSU said that it will support the candidate favored by former President Lee Teng-hui (李登輝).
Taiwan yesterday denied Chinese allegations that its military was behind a cyberattack on a technology company in Guangzhou, after city authorities issued warrants for 20 suspects. The Guangzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau earlier yesterday issued warrants for 20 people it identified as members of the Information, Communications and Electronic Force Command (ICEFCOM). The bureau alleged they were behind a May 20 cyberattack targeting the backend system of a self-service facility at the company. “ICEFCOM, under Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party, directed the illegal attack,” the warrant says. The bureau placed a bounty of 10,000 yuan (US$1,392) on each of the 20 people named in
The High Court yesterday found a New Taipei City woman guilty of charges related to helping Beijing secure surrender agreements from military service members. Lee Huei-hsin (李慧馨) was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for breaching the National Security Act (國家安全法), making illegal compacts with government employees and bribery, the court said. The verdict is final. Lee, the manager of a temple in the city’s Lujhou District (蘆洲), was accused of arranging for eight service members to make surrender pledges to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army in exchange for money, the court said. The pledges, which required them to provide identification
Nine retired generals from Taiwan, Japan and the US have been invited to participate in a tabletop exercise hosted by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation tomorrow and Wednesday that simulates a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan in 2030, the foundation said yesterday. The five retired Taiwanese generals would include retired admiral Lee Hsi-min (李喜明), joined by retired US Navy admiral Michael Mullen and former chief of staff of the Japan Self-Defense Forces general Shigeru Iwasaki, it said. The simulation aims to offer strategic insights into regional security and peace in the Taiwan Strait, it added. Foundation chair Huang Huang-hsiung
’DISTORTION’: Beijing’s assertion that the US agreed with its position on Taiwan is a recurring tactic it uses to falsely reinforce its sovereignty claims, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said Chinese state media deliberately distorted Taiwan’s sovereign status, following reports that US President Donald Trump agreed to uphold the “one China” policy in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). During the more than one-hour-long call, Xi urged Trump to retreat from trade measures that roiled the global economy and cautioned him against threatening steps on Taiwan, a Chinese government summary of the call said. China’s official Xinhua news agency quoted Xi as saying that the US should handle the Taiwan issue cautiously and avoid the two countries being drawn into dangerous
RSS