Deputy Secretary-General to the President Joseph Wu (
Wu, who said he has been a KMT member since he was young, said he would join the DPP next month, when the party is set to hold a ceremony to present the political appointees that it has recruited.
The party has been trying to increase its talent base by recruiting senior members of the government.
Several have already agreed to join, including Council for Cultural Affairs Vice Chairman Wu Mi-cha (吳密察), Council of Labor Affairs Vice Chairman Kuo Chi-jen (郭吉仁), Mainland Affairs Council Vice Chairman Chen Ming-tong (陳明通), Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Ling-san (林陵三) and Public Construction Commission Chairwoman Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪).
Wu was a guest at a dinner organized by Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Shih-meng (
Also on the guest list were Lin, Kuo, Wu Mi-cha, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
Asked whether she would join the party, Kuo said she was a political appointee designated by the ruling party, thus "joining the party is in line with the spirit of party politics."
When asked by reporters about the recruitment drive, President Chen Shui-bian (
However, Chen Shih-meng (
"Their decisions will not affect the performance of their duties," he said.
The foreign minster yesterday ruled out the DPP's invitation to join the party, saying that diplomatic affairs have unique characteristics.
"Keeping my political affiliation independent will benefit those affairs to a certain degree," Chien said.
Chien was a KMT member until January last year, when he let his membership lapse.
Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (林信義) and Lin Chuan (林全), head of the Directorate General of Budget Accounting and Statistics, have also decided not to join the DPP.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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