Former premier Simon Chang (張善政) yesterday said he would run in next year’s presidential election as an independent candidate.
The decision followed careful deliberation, Chang said, adding that he is gathering a campaign team.
Only by breaking away from the fierce rivalry between the pan-green and pan-blue camps can Taiwan recuperate and recover its former glory, he said.
Photo: CNA
He would build his cross-strait platform on the premise of “prioritizing Taiwan,” while adhering to the “one China” principle as it is outlined in the Constitution — a notion he came up with after seeing the endless bickering between the two political camps over the so-called “1992 consensus.”
The “consensus” often advocated by former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has its merits, but the two political camps cannot agree on its meaning, he said.
The Constitution was written with “one China” in mind, so Chang’s cross-strait stance of helping Taiwan live up to the status of that “one China” should be acceptable to both camps, he said.
Asked to comment on the variables that his entry adds to the election and how it would affect the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) prospects, Chang said he is not a KMT member, so he would wait patiently and see who the party nominates as its presidential candidate.
He said he hopes to present a balanced addition to discussions about cross-strait relations and put an end to the “unnecessary bickering” between the pan-green and pan-blue camps over cross-strait issues.
It would be hard for his presidential candidacy signature drive to pass the threshold without the backing of a major party, Chang said, adding that it is unclear whether he could overcome that hurdle, but if he did, voters would have an alternative choice.
He said he would fashion his campaign around a slogan urging the pan-green and pan-blue camps to “end their political wrangling.”
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of