Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday downplayed questions on whether he intends to run for president without resigning as New Taipei City mayor, saying only that he would tell the public his plans after today’s provisional party congress.
Asked to comment on allegations that he plans to join the Jan.16 presidential race while holding on to the mayor’s seat, Chu said on the sidelines of a public event in the special municipality yesterday morning that he will “report to the public after decisions are reached at Saturday’s [today’s] party congress.”
“Now is not the time to care about personal reputation,” Chu said in response to questions whether the KMT leadership’s plan to allow him to replace the party’s current presidential candidate, Deputy Legislative Speaker Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱), would attract more criticism.
Photo: Chen Wei-tsung, Taipei Times
“No one is contesting for power or pandering for favors at this moment, as we all aspire to shoulder greater responsibility for the sake of Taiwanese democracy and the Republic of China [ROC],” Chu said.
However, maintaining his mayorship might not be a good idea for Chu if he were to run for the top office.
A TVBS poll center survey released yesterday showed that as many as 66 percent of New Taipei City residents believe Chu should step down as mayor if he joins the presidential race, while 19 percent of respondents think otherwise.
A majority, or 54 percent, of respondents who identify themselves as pan-blue supporters also want Chu to quit his mayoral post, compared with 83 percent among those pan-green supporters.
Amid a growing sympathetic sentiment toward Hung among pan-blue supporters, Chu said he had expressed his apologies to the deputy legislative speaker through multiple channels, including text messages, public statements and via intermediaries.
As for the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) reported countermeasures against his potential presidential bid, Chu said the DPP began mobilizing shortly after the KMT’s Central Standing Committee reached a consensus last week to hold the party congress.
“But this is good for Taiwanese democracy, as it will help create a more dynamic election and thus allow people to determine which direction they want for the future and their preferred choice [of candidate] in the 2016 election,” Chu said.
Hung yesterday declined to make any comments regarding today’s KMT party congress — which is due to vote on rescinding her nomination — when approached by reporters outside the Legislative Yuan.
She simply said “no comment” before quickly leaving the scene.
Separately, Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) expressed the hope that the KMT could nominate in a “harmonious and united manner” a candidate deemed by a majority of members as the most suitable to represent the party in the Jan. 16 presidential election.
“Hopefully, this candidate can help promote the cross-strait policies jointly shared by the party’s legislative candidates and facilitate their goal of building a stronger, and more prosperous, harmonious and advanced nation,” Wu said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as