The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus yesterday said there is still the question of “political and moral flaws” in the case involving Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) investment in a biotechnology company, “despite the absence of a judicial ruling.”
The Taipei District Court on Tuesday ruled former Council for Economic Planning and Development Minister Christina Liu (劉憶如) to pay Tsai NT$2 million (US$61,189) for defamation over her accusation that Tsai violated revolving-door laws by investing in biotechnology company TaiMed Biologics Inc (中裕新藥).
The case against Tsai was closed in August 2012 after no irregularities were found.
Photo: CNA
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) dismissed the DPP’s demand that the KMT apologize for its accusations about Tsai.
“It is Tsai who needs to apologize, and she was supposed to do it four years ago,” Wu said. “If it were [KMT Chairman] Eric Chu (朱立倫) who invested in the company in the capacity of former vice premier of the Executive Yuan, would the DPP attack Chu, even if the investment had been made after he left the post?”
“This case raises concerns in two areas; the judicial, and the political and moral. The only reason that Tsai avoided violating the law is because the revolving-door laws of this nation do not restrict the actions of premiers and vice premiers,” Wu said. “It is only because we lack the pertinent regulations that Tsai was not found culpable.”
KMT Legislator Alicia Wang (王育敏) agreed with Wu, adding that the Control Yuan in October 2013 issued a “25-page corrective report” addressing the shortfalls in the court’s investigation.
“If [a person] is afraid of making apologies, they are not qualified to run for president,” Wu said.
Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said Tsai should clearly explain to the public whether she had made an effort to avoid a conflict of interests.
When asked whether the KMT needs to apologize, Wu said the case “has absolutely nothing to do with the KMT; Tsai is the one who is involved.”
A group of DPP lawmakers held a separate press conference, lambasting the KMT for not understanding how to “engage in introspection.”
On Tuesday, Chu, in response to the DPP’s demand for an an apology, said that the case “is not directly related to the KMT.”
Liu said yesterday that she would appeal the ruling.
Additional reporting by Staff Writer
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
RSS