The four camps of the candidates in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairperson election yesterday gave assessments of their prospects in today’s vote.
The candidates are: KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who took office on March 9 last year as the party’s youngest-ever chairman; former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who was elected KMT chairman in an unopposed by-election in January 2015 and resigned in January 2016 following the party’s losses in the presidential and legislative elections; Sun Yat-sen School president Chang Ya-chung (張亞中); and former Changhua County commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源).
Chiang spokesman Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) said Chiang’s call for party solidarity has garnered him support, as KMT members have expressed concern that attacks Chu and Chang have instigated against each other might create rifts.
Chu has said that Chang is pushing for Taiwan to unify with China, while Chang has questioned Chu’s knowledge of diplomatic issues.
Chu spokesman Ling Tao (凌濤) said that Chu’s campaign message is clear — the KMT must prosper in next year’s general elections and win the 2024 presidential election.
Chu yesterday issued an open letter critiquing the Democratic Progressive Party, which also calls for KMT members who have not decided which chairperson candidate they will vote for to cast a ballot, Ling said.
A member of Chu’s camp said on condition of anonymity that polls show that support for Chiang was lagging far behind Chu, with Chang expected to be Chu’s main opponent.
Chang’s cross-strait views have caused anxiety in the party, which was a factor in Chu taking a lead in polls in Taichung, a strong support base for Chiang, the person said.
However, Chu’s numbers in Taipei and New Taipei City are more concerning, they said.
Chang spokesman Ho Chi-sheng (何啟聖) said that Chang’s campaign was confident about the support it has generated, but is not certain how many votes it would receive.
There are too many factors at play, Ho said.
Cho spokesman Wu Ming-sheng (吳明聖) said that Cho sought to rally the support of all 370,000 KMT members.
The KMT National Congress today is to hold elections for party delegates alongside the chairperson vote.
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
MOTIVES QUESTIONED The PLA considers Xi’s policies toward Taiwan to be driven by personal considerations rather than military assessment, the Epoch Times reports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) latest purge of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) leadership might have been prompted by the military’s opposition to plans of invading Taiwan, the Epoch Times said. The Chinese military opposes waging war against Taiwan by a large consensus, putting it at odds with Xi’s vision, the Falun Gong-affiliated daily said in a report on Thursday, citing anonymous sources with insight into the PLA’s inner workings. The opposition is not the opinion of a few generals, but a widely shared view among the PLA cadre, the Epoch Times cited them as saying. “Chinese forces know full well that
RSS