The public wants to know President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) definition of “Taiwanese values,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
Ko on Friday said in a television interview that he is waiting for Tsai to turn in her “exam papers,” referring to her policy plans, to decide whether he will support her in next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
Tsai yesterday said that her “report card will be for the people to review, not for a certain politician or a political party.”
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Later in the day, reporters approached Ko at a traditional pudu (普渡, “universal salvation”) ceremony in Taipei for comments on Tsai’s remark.
“Of course [her remark] is correct, but I believe every person in Taiwan really wants to know what President Tsai’s ‘Taiwanese values’ are,” he said.
“She used to ask other people, now it is her turn to answer other people’s questions,” Ko added, referring to a TV interview in January last year in which Tsai, then the chairperson of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was asked whether the party would support Ko in the mayoral election in November, to which Tsai said that Ko should reaffirm his “Taiwanese values” so that DPP supporters can know that he is someone they can cooperate with.
When asked whether he has discussed the possibility of cooperation with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) for next year’s election, Ko said it depends on whether a cooperation can create values that are demanded by the public.
Wang earlier yesterday reiterated that he would “seek to be president until the very end.”
Ko was asked whether Wang’s attitude might affect their cooperation.
“It depends on how Taiwanese mainstream opinion develops and what the market wants at the end,” he said. “I realized that for ideas to combine, everyone involved should be willing to compromise a little to achieve the bigger goal, because if everyone insists on their idea, then it would be difficult to achieve.”
However, Ko denied he meant for Wang to compromise, saying that his attitude toward working with Gou and Wang remains the same, which is: “Let nature take its course.”
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS