Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday acknowledged that he has a personal relationship with tycoon Liao Wan-long (廖萬隆), a former member of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Central Standing Committee who reportedly has close ties with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平).
Liao, 74, is known as the “King of Taiwan Tungsten Carbide,” with an estimated personal worth of about NT$50 billion (US$1.8 billion).
Ko said that he and Liao have a normal relationship as friends.
Private donations are vital financial sources for political parties and all the donations that the TPP receives are legal, Ko said, adding that he was not aware of any donations made by Liao.
However, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), a KMT member, said Liao has provided a lot of funding for TPP rallies and events, and that he is pushing for the pan-blue camp and the white camp (the TPP) to cooperate.
Asked about the implications, Jaw said he is not concerned about Liao assisting Ko in getting KMT politicians and members to join the TPP.
“All political parties are looking for new talent, to attract capable people... Even the KMT, we can pluck people from the TPP or the DPP to join us,” he said.
TPP spokeswoman Yang Bao-zheng (楊寶楨) confirmed that Ko has frequently met with Liao.
“They are good personal friends, [they have] known each other for many years... Liao always wants to help out, by introducing friends and important figures to Ko,” Yang said.
“We are not certain about the reports of Liao providing financial contributions to the TPP ... but we can confirm that Liao and Ko have met for dinner,” she said.
“I attended one of the dinner meetings last week, and Liao was there, but it was not at a luxury private club as some media have reported ... it took place at a restaurant in Taipei,” Yang said.
“They talked about Taiwanese politics and economic development,” she added.
Yang said the two men discussed the local elections in November, but also touched on other issues related to politics and the economy.
At that dinner and other meetings, Liao did suggest potential candidates for the local elections, she added.
Wealth Magazine reported that Liao cultivated a good personal relationship with Xi when he set up an office and expanded production plants in China’s Fujian Province in the 1990s.
At the time, Xi was Fujian’s vice governor. He later became governor, and his economic policies attracted Taiwanese businesses to the province.
Xi then became the second-most powerful man in the Chinese Communist Party’s Politburo Standing Committee.
Wealth Magazine quoted witnesses at a Xiamen government event in 2010 as saying that political figures and security guards were astonished when Liao came up to Xi and warmly embraced him, before heading to a private room to talk.
Liao is listed as the founder and president of CB-CERATIZIT Group. Its head office is in New Taipei City, and the company also has production plants and branch offices in China.
Liao has led the company to become second-largest carbide manufacturer in China and Taiwan, the company Web site says.
Additional reporting by Liu Tzu-hsuan
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