Leading political figures from the two major parties yesterday came out in support of their candidates for the legislative by-election in Taipei's Da-an District (大安) today.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) visited Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Chiang Nai-shin's (蔣乃辛) campaign headquarters, marking his first public endorsement of Chiang.
“The KMT would definitely lose [the elections] if the party and the pan-blue camp split ... We should learn our lessons from history and avoid making the same mistakes,” Ma said.
KMT Chairman Wu Poh-hsiung (吳伯雄) also called for a pan-blue unity ahead of the by-election and urged supporters to vote for Chiang over another pan-blue contender — independent candidate Yao Li-ming (姚立明), who has the backing of the New Party.
The Da-an District has long been a pan-blue stronghold, but the KMT's defeat in the Miaoli legislative by-election earlier this month prompted the party to increase its efforts in the Da-an by-election campaign.
Ma, who had previously refrained from attending Chiang's campaign activities, finally joined other KMT heavyweights yesterday in soliciting support for the party's candidate.
The president, however, did not attend the election-eve party last night.
Wu said the party understood the pressure the president faces in participating in campaign events, but added that Ma's visit to Chiang's campaign headquarters was enough to attract the support of voters.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Chou Po-ya (周柏雅) spent the last day of campaign calling for support in a motorcade. Accompanying Chou was former DPP chairman Hsu Hsin-liang (?}), who urged voters to help the DPP gain one more seat in the legislature by voting for Chou today.
The KMT-dominated legislature does not need another KMT legislator, Hsu said, adding that only by sending a DPP candidate to the legislature could the opposition parties gain more strength in balancing the power structure in the Legislative Yuan.
Other top DPP figures, including former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), also attended Chou's election-eve party to solicit support for him.
The by-election is being held to fill the seat left vacant by former KMT legislator Diane Lee (李慶安), who resigned when it was discovered she had dual citizenship.
Seven candidates are competing for the Da-an legislative seat.
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary
CHIP EXCEPTION: An official said that an exception for Taiwanese semiconductors would have a limited effect, as most are packaged in third nations before being sold The Executive Yuan yesterday decried US President Donald Trump’s 32 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods announced hours earlier as “unfair,” saying it would lodge a representation with Washington. The Cabinet in a statement described the pledged US tariffs, expected to take effect on Wednesday next week, as “deeply unreasonable” and “highly regrettable.” Cabinet spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) said that the government would “lodge a solemn representation” with the US Trade Representative and continue negotiating with Washington to “ensure the interests of our nation and industries.” Trump at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday announced a 10 percent baseline tariff on most goods
THUGGISH BEHAVIOR: Encouraging people to report independence supporters is another intimidation tactic that threatens cross-strait peace, the state department said China setting up an online system for reporting “Taiwanese independence” advocates is an “irresponsible and reprehensible” act, a US government spokesperson said on Friday. “China’s call for private individuals to report on alleged ‘persecution or suppression’ by supposed ‘Taiwan independence henchmen and accomplices’ is irresponsible and reprehensible,” an unnamed US Department of State spokesperson told the Central News Agency in an e-mail. The move is part of Beijing’s “intimidation campaign” against Taiwan and its supporters, and is “threatening free speech around the world, destabilizing the Indo-Pacific region, and deliberately eroding the cross-strait status quo,” the spokesperson said. The Chinese Communist Party’s “threats
RSS