Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday formally registered to run for the party’s top job next month and outlined six goals if elected.
The KMT is scheduled to hold elections for its chairperson and National Congress delegates on Sept. 25, after they were postponed from July 24 due to a local COVID-19 outbreak in May.
Chu, who served two terms as New Taipei City mayor from December 2010 to December 2018, announced on Aug. 2 that he would join the race for KMT chairperson. He was the KMT chairman from January 2015 to January 2016, but resigned after losing the 2016 presidential election.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
At about 10am yesterday, Chu arrived at KMT headquarters in Taipei to complete his registration as candidate.
Chu said he holds six essential goals for the position, the top one being to win the local elections next year and bring the KMT back to power in 2024.
The second is to strengthen the KMT’s leadership, consolidate its power and make it more united, he said.
Third, the KMT should gain international respect and connect with countries around the world, he said.
Fourth, the KMT must play an essential role in cross-strait relations, he said, adding that the party should act as a stabilizing and peaceful force while reconnecting the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and restoring platforms for cross-strait exchange.
“Young people are our hope,” he said, describing his fifth goal for the KMT: to place greater emphasis on young people.
Chu’s sixth goal is that party reform must continue, he said, urging KMT members to pool resources into making the KMT better.
Registration for the chairperson election ends today.
Local media reports said that KMT Chairman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who in February announced that he would seek re-election, is expected to complete his registration today, along with former Taichung mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and former KMT legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒).
As a legislator, Chiang represents Taichung’s eighth electoral district, while Yen had represented the city’s second electoral district.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
RSS