Former National Security Council (NSC) deputy secretary-general Philip Yang (楊永明) yesterday said he was withdrawing from the Keelung mayoral election due to political strife, promising to focus his efforts to promote unity in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) before making any further political move.
Yang, who resigned his post in July and announced his bid for mayor, expressed concern about the political strife between President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) and its impact on the nation, adding that he would mull party unity and the nation’s overall development.
“I resigned in July to devote my efforts to local development in Keelung and my withdrawal from the race now is a painful decision because I am worried about the situation in the nation,” he said.
As a KMT member, promoting party unity and stabilizing the political situation are issues that should be addressed immediately, he said, adding that he would use his expertise to make an effort to raise the nation’s competitiveness.
Yang, a political science professor at National Taiwan University, served as Executive Yuan spokesman before taking over as NSC deputy secretary-general.
His announcement to withdraw from the Keelung election came in the wake of the announcement that former Presidential Office deputy secretary-general Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) would not run.
Lo resigned from his post last month amid speculation that he was preparing an election bid. As a Keelung native, Lo is reportedly Ma’s preferred candidate to represent the KMT in the race.
It is believed that Lo’s resignation was a political move that allowed him to defend Ma’s policies more freely, as he has been doing on his Facebook page since his resignation. He has also continued to discuss local development issues in Keelung, despite the announcement that he would not run in the election.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS