Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Yu Shyi-kun surprised no one yesterday when he announced his intention to run in the party primary for next year's presidential election.
Yu is the second of the DPP's four big guns to announce a presidential bid. Former premier Frank Hsieh (
Registration for the DPP primary will be open from March 5 to March 9. Party members will vote on presidential and legislative hopefuls on May 6, after which public opinion polls will be held. The party will announce its final candidates for the two elections on May 30.
Saying that he is the one who is "most capable of leading Taiwan forward," Yu made the announcement at a temple in his Ilan County hometown yesterday morning.
Yu said next year is important because it will be the time when the Taiwanese people have to decide whether to move forward or go backward, as the country faces a number of challenges, including globalization and China's economic rise.
At this important juncture, Yu said that the country needs a leader who "says what he means, is consistent and has a sense of propriety."
"Such a person has to stick to principles because they give the person faith and power," he said.
The next president has to insist on reform, know how to tackle the cross-strait impasse and react to internal and external crises with creative thinking, he said.
"I believe I am that person," he said.
The DPP boss said he would not rush to resolve the cross-strait issue or change his position, nor would he vacillate on issues. He described himself as the "one who upholds Taiwan's values."
When asked whether he would resign his party post to enter the primary, Yu said that although the party's election rules did not require him to do so, he would nonetheless ask for leave of absence after he begins campaigning.
He said he also needed time to think about a running mate.
Yu's announcement came after President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said on Wednesday that he had been disappointed that Yu had not yet announced his intention to run in the primary.
Yu returned to Taipei yesterday afternoon to visit former senior presidential adviser Wu Li-pei (吳澧培) and seek his support. Wu encouraged Yu to offer a clear discourse on important issues, particularly "Taiwan consciousness" and how to materialize it.
Other DPP figures seen as possible presidential aspirants were low key yesterday when asked about Yu's announcement.
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) refused to comment, saying that she did not want to talk about the election during the Lunar New Year holiday.
She spent yesterday morning with the president, visiting temples in Keelung and paying respect to the late Keelung Mayor Hsu Tsai-li (許財利), who died last Wednesday of complications from chronic heart disease.
Meanwhile, Hsieh said that he was not surprised by Yu's decision and that it was a good thing to see many contenders in the primary.
"It shows the party has many great talents," Hsieh said. "I believe when there is competition, there is improvement."
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
IDENTITY: Compared with other platforms, TikTok’s algorithm pushes a ‘disproportionately high ratio’ of pro-China content, a study has found Young Taiwanese are increasingly consuming Chinese content on TikTok, which is changing their views on identity and making them less resistant toward China, researchers and politicians were cited as saying by foreign media. Asked to suggest the best survival strategy for a small country facing a powerful neighbor, students at National Chia-Yi Girls’ Senior High School said “Taiwan must do everything to avoid provoking China into attacking it,” the Financial Times wrote on Friday. Young Taiwanese between the ages of 20 and 24 in the past were the group who most strongly espoused a Taiwanese identity, but that is no longer
RSS