Another Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmaker has declined to run on a KMT ticket for a legislative seat in southern Taiwan.
KMT legislator-at-large Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉) was expected by the party to run in Pingtung County, but is said to have turned down the offer.
The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported Su saying on Monday that since the KMT has traditionally performed weakly in Pingtung’s third electoral district, where the KMT wanted him to run for a legislative seat, the chance of winning is slim if a traditional “blue-green face-off” is played out.
He said that the party could cooperate with former Taiwan Solidarity Union secretary-general Huang Chao-chan (黃昭展), — who plans to run as an independent — following a model set up by non-affiliated Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). While Ko ran as an independent, his victory over KMT candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) in last year’s nine-in-one elections is widely believed to have been partly due to the Democratic Progressive Party’s “polite yielding.”
Huang would be facing DPP Legislator Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄) if he steps into the ring.
Su did not respond to telephone calls from the Taipei Times yesterday.
Reports have said the KMT faces a predicament in that few want to represent the party in central and southern Taiwan, prompting the party to consider disciplinary action against members who do not abide by party decisions.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said the problem is for party headquarters to deal with.
“Is coercion going to work [when it comes to] elections?” Wang asked.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) said on Sunday that KMT Pingtung chapter director Liao Wan-ju (廖婉汝) said Su promised to join the race in the district, and party headquarters “has a serious problem” with his decision to drop out.
It does not rule out the possibility of party discipline, Liao said.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
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