The KMT officially nominated Ma Ying-jeou (
But while citing Ma's "remarkable" performance over the past three years, party Chairman Lien Chan (
"Mayor Ma has to be very mindful and cope with the campaign with composure, because he's facing a rival with huge administrative resources under its control," Lien said.
PHOTO: CHU YU-PIN, TAIPEI TIMES
For example, there's the recent dispute over funding for flood-prevention projects along the Keelung River, Lien said.
The DPP-ruled central government left Taipei out of funding plans in an effort to thwart Ma's re-election bid, the KMT party chairman said.
On Ma's accomplishments, Lien noted that the mayor's approval rating shot up from 50 percent to 70 percent after one year in office.
"Ma didn't win credit by chance, but through hard work," Lien said.
Lien said the mayor hopes to develop Taipei into an international metropolis emphasizing culture, justice, stability and democracy and is close to achieving those goals.
Taipei also has the third lowest unemployment rate among 23 localities in Taiwan and the lowest crime rate, Lien noted.
Meanwhile, Ma said the city government has raised the quality of life in Taipei over the past three years by improving the Mass Rapid Transit System, adding to the city's Internet infrastructure and reducing garbage volumes through recycling measures.
Ma said under his leadership, the city has established a "new Taipei spirit," in which differences are resolved through patient communication with the people.
Ma pledged to continue his efforts to make Taipei into a world-class capital city in his second term and set a new example for Taiwan's democratic culture in the mayoral campaign.
To this end, Ma urged his rival, Lee Ying-yuan (
Lee yesterday congratulated Ma for obtaining the party's nomination, saying he expects a campaign of high quality.
The KMT is cooperating with the PFP in the Taipei and Kaohsiung mayoral races, and Ma has obtained the PFP's endorsement for his re-election bid.
The two parties, however, have not been able to decide on a joint candidate for Kaohsiung.
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Celebrations marking Double Ten National Day are to begin in Taipei today before culminating in a fireworks display in Yunlin County on the night of Thursday next week. To start the celebrations, a concert is to be held at the Taipei Dome at 4pm today, featuring a lineup of award-winning singers, including Jody Chiang (江蕙), Samingad (紀曉君) and Huang Fei (黃妃), Taipei tourism bureau official Chueh Yu-ling (闕玉玲) told a news conference yesterday. School choirs, including the Pqwasan na Taoshan Choir and Hngzyang na Matui & Nahuy Children’s Choir, and the Ministry of National Defense Symphony Orchestra, flag presentation unit and choirs,
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