A flag representing a newly formed political party has been cleared by the Ministry of the Interior, but its similarity to the flags used by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the New Party has raised eyebrows.
According to a report yesterday by the Chinese-language United Daily News, the Republic Party (Minkuotang, 民國黨 or MKT) flag consists of the Republic of China’s national emblem on a golden-yellow background, a design that employs a symbol used by the KMT and the colors used by the New Party.
Members of the KMT and the New Party said the design is a cause for concern, as voters might confuse the MKT flag for that of the KMT or the New Party, the report said.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, the Chinese and English names of the MKT closely resemble those of the KMT, while there is also only a one-character difference between the MKT’s Chinese name and the Democratic Progressive Party’s (民進黨), causing some legislators to ask if the MKT aims to trick voters in next year’s legislative elections, the report said.
“Parties should assume that their supporters have the basic intelligence to discern [different party emblems],” MKT spokesman Hsu Shih-hsun (徐世勳) was quoted as saying.
The MKT’s flag is based on the party’s political beliefs and was not designed to cause confusion, Hsu was quoted as saying.
KMT Legislator Lo Shu-lei (羅淑蕾) said that the MKT seemed to be “exploiting loopholes” in formulating its name and its flag, which “the Ministry of the Interior should have made stringent checks on,” the report quoted Lo as saying.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS