Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman and New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday that the party does not have to nominate its candidate for next year’s presidential election in April, amid concerns over who will represent the KMT.
“The KMT usually unveils its presidential candidate between April and June, but does not have to do so in April,” Chu said.
He made the remarks while at a gathering of young KMT councilors in Kaohsiung.
Noting that more than 30 KMT lawmakers have signed a petition, urging him to run for president, Chu said: “They are all my good friends, and I thank them for their expression of concern.”
He called for interested party members to declare their intention to run for the presidency so that preparations can be started for party primaries.
Chu, 53, replaced President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) as KMT chairman on Jan. 19 after Ma stepped down in the wake of the party’s defeat in the nine-in-one elections last year.
Chu is regarded by many as a presidential hopeful, despite insisting that he intends to complete his second four-year term as mayor.
The KMT nominee is expected to run against DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who is seeking nomination for the chance to become Taiwan’s first female president.
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
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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