Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"Ever since I was elected as KMT chairman last year I've been inviting Speaker Wang to serve as a vice chairman. This way we would meet twice a week and the chance for communication would naturally increase," Ma said yesterday after he presided over a municipal meeting at the Taipei City Hall.
A total of 28 KMT legislators from the center and south of the country held a "Youth Forum" on Monday night to discuss the party's future and devise solutions to recent divisions between the party and its legislative caucus.
During the meeting, Wang reportedly agreed with some legislators who feel that the party headquarters has failed to communicate adequately with the caucus.
Wang told the lawmakers that Ma did not necessarily accept his suggestions even if they met.
Ma said Wang becoming a party vice chairman was "the solution" to the issue.
"This is why I insisted on [having Wang as a vice chairman] last year. With him participating in the decision-making process, we could communicate more," he said.
Ma ran against Wang for the chairmanship last August.
After losing, Wang rejected Ma's offer to be first vice chairman. He had previously served as a vice chairman under former chairman Lien Chan (
Yesterday Wang described Ma's renewed job offer "as a joke."
"There is no need for me to react to an old event," he said.
Wang said he had made a deal with Ma not to serve as a vice chairman.
"I haven't participated in the KMT's internal operations for the past year or more -- it is not just now," Wang said.
"Ma can consult with me anytime he likes. I will talk to him in my role as legislative speaker," he said.
He said that he is planning to visit both Ma and People First Party Chairman James Soong (
Meanwhile, KMT Secretary-General Chan Chun-po (
Chan said he would arrange a meeting between Ma and the party's lawmakers to discuss the caucus issue.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include