Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) is planning a visit to the US in March to thank Taiwanese expatriates for their support in last year’s nine-in-one elections, sources said.
Wu has repeatedly spoken about a trip abroad, saying that he has received many invitations from Taiwanese abroad, the sources said.
KMT spokesman Hung Meng-kai (洪孟楷) yesterday said that Taiwanese expats, including those in the US, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, have consistently expressed interest in a visit from Wu, but no decisions have been made about where or when he would go.
Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei Times
Sources within the KMT say that it is almost certain Wu would make a trip before next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
Travel restrictions on former vice presidents would not be a factor, KMT Overseas Department director Kuo Yun-kuang (郭昀光) said, adding that Wu has visited the US since stepping down as vice president and since becoming KMT chairman, and he has also traveled to the Philippines, Thailand and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, former New Taipei City mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) has no plans to visit the US in the near future, an aide said on Sunday.
Chu has announced his intent to seek the party’s presidential nomination and had previously said he would visit the US sometime around the Lunar New Year.
KMT Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said he would not have a clear answer about a possible presidential bid until after Lantern Festival on Feb. 19, adding that he would respect the party’s nomination process, Wang said.
Additional reporting by Shen Pei-yao, Wan Yu-chen and Chen Hsin-yu
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