Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘), and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) appeared together in public for the first time yesterday amid speculation that they are planning to team up against Taiwan’s two major parties in next year’s presidential and legislative elections.
The three influential figures sat together at a concert in Taipei that commemorated the 61st anniversary of the start of the 823 Artillery Bombardment in Kinmen County, and afterward posed for photographs, taking turns to stand in the middle of their group.
Speaking to reporters after the concert, Ko said that their first public appearance was “just the beginning.”
Photo: CNA
He did not elaborate.
On the question of whether the trio have worked out an election strategy, Ko did not give a direct answer, saying only that he wanted to provide voters with a viable alternative.
“I do not want to see the upcoming elections characterized by fear and hate campaigns,” he said.
On Aug. 6, Ko formed the Taiwan People’s Party and pledged to support Gou if he ran for president next year, but 10 days later the mayor said he would consider running himself if Gou did not enter the race.
After the concert yesterday, Tsai Chin-yu (蔡沁瑜), one of Gou’s aides, said that an alliance with Ko and Wang would combine the strengths and expertise of the three men and offer people an alternative to the Democratic Progressive Party and the KMT.
Asked whether Gou intended to run for president, Tsai sidestepped the question, saying that Gou could have been enjoying life after retirement, but rather has been thinking about what would be “best for Taiwan.”
Gou has no immediate plans to meet with Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who beat him in the KMT primary, she added.
Separately yesterday, KMT Chairman Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said he plans to meet with Gou when the time is right.
Regarding the reports that Gou could run for president as an independent, Wu said: “It is going to be rather troublesome” as the KMT has already nominated Han as its presidential candidate.
Wang — who served as legislative speaker for 17 years — pulled out of the KMT’s presidential primary in June, but said that he would “run in the election come what may.”
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
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
RSS