After months of speculation and innuendo, People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (
The KMT, which nominated its own Taipei mayoral candidate Hau Lung-bin (
Pledging to run as a candidate "transcending party affiliations," Soong shrugged off the KMT's concerns by declaring that he would temporarily leave his position as PFP chairman to run as an independent candidate, while urging Taipei residents to choose their future mayor according to the candidates' abilities.
"We should not depend on `faction politics' in Taiwan ... In choosing the future Taipei mayor, residents should consider candidates' abilities, instead of asking what a candidate's father or his party chairman can do," Soong said while releasing his new book at the Mayor's Arts Residence Salon.
To chants of "Go, go Chairman Soong," the PFP chairman promised that if elected mayor he would visit the city's districts on a regular basis to better understand residents' concerns.
Soong dismissed claims that he was running for mayor to retain his visibility prior to the 2008 presidential election, saying he would be satisfied with a four-year term as mayor and would not seek re-election thereafter.
"Taipei City Hall is not a springboard to the Presidential Office ... [Serving as mayor] would represent the conclusion of my political career," he said.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (
"Chairman Soong has put all his effort into understanding Taipei City's issues ... Given an opportunity, I believe that he will transform Taipei into a brand new city," Wang said.
Soong promised that if elected he would focus his efforts on issues such as urban regeneration and water resource projects.
Incumbent Taipei Mayor and KMT Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (
"We will continue to try every possible means to ensure that there is only one candidate representing the pan-blue alliance," Ma said at Taipei City Hall.
In addition to Hau and Soong, independent Legislator Lee Ao (
Ma said the pan-blue camp could not afford another split such as it suffered in the March 2000 presidential election and the 1994 Taipei mayoral race. He added that he would do whatever he could to avoid such a scenario, including meeting with Lee or Soong.
Hau said he respected Soong's decision to run and vowed to compete in a gentlemanly manner.
"Pan-blue voters should join forces and not be split. As the KMT candidate, the most important thing for me is to spare no effort to earn voters' support," Hau said while registering his candidacy for the election with the Taipei Municipal Election Commission.
Hau promised that if elected mayor he would work to develop Taipei as a friendly, safe and truly international city.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei mayoral candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who brought cheerleaders and baseball players with him to the Central Election Commission, told the press that hosting the Olympic Games in Taipei in 2020 was a possibility.
Calling rival KMT candidate Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) "pessimistic," Hsieh said: "Taipei needs a mayor who can make the impossible possible."
Taiwan Solidarity Union candidate Clara Chou (
In Kaohsiung, the DPP's Chen Chu (
Chen said she would implement 10 major policies to establish Kaohsiung as a "happy, oceanic capital."
Additional reporting by Flora Wang, with CNA
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
Two US House of Representatives committees yesterday condemned China’s attempt to orchestrate a crash involving Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) car when she visited the Czech Republic last year as vice president-elect. Czech local media in March last year reported that a Chinese diplomat had run a red light while following Hsiao’s car from the airport, and Czech intelligence last week told local media that Chinese diplomats and agents had also planned to stage a demonstrative car collision. Hsiao on Saturday shared a Reuters news report on the incident through her account on social media platform X and wrote: “I
SHIFT PRIORITIES: The US should first help Taiwan respond to actions China is already taking, instead of focusing too heavily on deterring a large-scale invasion, an expert said US Air Force leaders on Thursday voiced concerns about the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) missile capabilities and its development of a “kill web,” and said that the US Department of Defense’s budget request for next year prioritizes bolstering defenses in the Indo-Pacific region due to the increasing threat posed by China. US experts said that a full-scale Chinese invasion of Taiwan is risky and unlikely, with Beijing more likely to pursue coercive tactics such as political warfare or blockades to achieve its goals. Senior air force and US Space Force leaders, including US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and
Czech officials have confirmed that Chinese agents surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March 2024 and planned a collision with her car as part of an “unprecedented” provocation by Beijing in Europe. Czech Military Intelligence learned that their Chinese counterparts attempted to create conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, which “did not go beyond the preparation stage,” agency director Petr Bartovsky told Czech Radio in a report yesterday. In addition, a Chinese diplomat ran a red light to maintain surveillance of the Taiwanese
RSS