Chances are increasing that Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) will announce a bid for president, according to sources close to Wang.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) representative in Kaohsiung Lee Po-jung (李柏融) said that Wang has started to motivate his staff and will be convening party members this week to initiate the signature drive required to run for the KMT presidential nomination.
Wang has remained equivocal about his intentions.
Photo: Su Meng-chuan, Taipei Times
“I’m not saying that I will run, but I’m not saying I will not, either,” Wang said yesterday.
Wang was at China Medical University in Taichung yesterday to receive an honorary doctorate.
During the ceremony, Academia Sinica’s Lo Hao (羅浩), another honorary doctorate recipient, said that while he has become Wang’s “schoolmate,” Wang would probably be a president next year; a quip that brought a round of laughter from audience members.
Wang said he has been busy in the legislature recently, reiterating that he remained undecided.
When asked about New Taipei City Mayor and KMT Chairman Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) declaration on Friday that he would not make a bid for next year’s election, Wang said he respects Chu’s decision.
When asked whether it would possible for him to work with People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜), Wang said he and Soong have worked together on many issues.
Former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bing (郝龍斌), who on Thursday said Chu was “in deep contemplation” over the possibility of running for president, was at the KMT’s office in Kaohsiung on Friday.
Political observers said that it seems Hau is watching Wang closely for any developments over a possible announcement of a presidential bid.
Kaohsiung City Farmers’ Association secretary-general Hsiao Han-chun (蕭漢俊) said that Wang’s possible goal of vying for the nation’s top job meets the expectations of many members of farmers’ and fishermen’s associations.
Once it is confirmed that Wang is to run, not only would Kaohsiung’s fishermen’s association respond to his campaign needs, the farmers’ associations across the nation, which have received aid from Wang, would join the effort and collect signatures for him, Hsiao said.
Since last month, Wang has been invited to attend events almost every weekend. The southern counties and cities have been particularly enthusiastic, party sources said.
The events include meetings with KMT members and gatherings with city and county associations, women’s associations, charity groups and major temple festivals.
Many of Kaohsiung’s KMT councilors and legislators believe that the time is ripe for Wang to announce his intention to run for president, party sources said, adding that an official declaration could be made this week.
Meanwhile, KMT Kaohsiung City chapter director Hsu Fu-ming (許福明) said the office would follow the nomination procedure promulgated by the party, accepting applications from those who want to sign up.
As for Wang’s intentions, “I am not in a position to comment,” Hsu said.
ACTION PLAN: Taiwan would expand procurement from the US and encourage more companies to invest in the US to deepen bilateral cooperation, Lai said The government would not impose reciprocal tariffs in retaliation against US levies, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, as he announced five strategies to address the issue, including pledging to increase Taiwanese companies’ investments in the US. Lai has in the past few days met with administrative and national security officials, as well as representatives from various industries, to explore countermeasures after US President Donald Trump on Wednesday last week announced a 32 percent duty on Taiwanese imports. In a video released yesterday evening, Lai said that Taiwan would not retaliate against the US with higher tariffs and Taiwanese companies’ commitments to
‘SPECIAL CHANNEL’: Taipei’s most important tasks are to stabilize industries affected by Trump’s trade tariffs and keep negotiations with Washington open, a source said National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) arrived in the US for talks with US President Donald Trump’s administration, a source familiar with the matter said on Friday. Wu was leading a delegation for a meeting known as the “special channel,” the Financial Times reported earlier. It marked Trump’s first use of the channel since returning to the White House on Jan. 20. Citing a source familiar with the matter, the Financial Times reported that Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) was also a part of the delegation. The visit came days after China concluded war games around Taiwan and amid Trump’s
Intelligence agents have recorded 510,000 instances of “controversial information” being spread online by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) so far this year, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said in a report yesterday, as it warned of artificial intelligence (AI) being employed to generate destabilizing misinformation. The bureau submitted a written report to the Legislative Yuan in preparation for National Security Bureau Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee today. The CCP has been using cognitive warfare to divide Taiwanese society by commenting on controversial issues such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) investments in the
HELPING HAND: The steering committee of the National Stabilization Fund is expected to hold a meeting to discuss how and when to utilize the fund to help buffer the sell-off The TAIEX plunged 2,065.87 points, or 9.7 percent, to close at 19,232.35 yesterday, the highest single-day percentage loss on record, as investors braced for US President Donald Trump’s tariffs after an extended holiday weekend. Amid the pessimistic atmosphere, 945 listed companies led by large-cap stocks — including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) and Largan Precision Co (大立光) — fell by the daily maximum of 10 percent at the close, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed. The number of listed companies ending limit-down set a new record, the exchange said. The TAIEX plunged by daily maxiumu in just
RSS