2024 ELECTIONS: Ko promises to get rid of illegal parking lot
On Tuesday, Hsinchu City Government officials inspected the plot at the city’s Lungen Section No. They said they would investigate to determine whether the property obtained proper permission to be paved and used as parking lot. A Hsinchu City Government official takes pictures at a tour bus parking lot on farmland co-owned by Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je on Tuesday. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members and others also visited the site to see if work had started to remove the parking lot. DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said that Ko contravened regulations by making money leasing the parking lot, and possibly profiting if the land is later rezoned.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2023 18:12 UTC
Government needs overhaul, Ko Wen-je says
Government needs overhaul, Ko Wen-je saysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporter, with CNAThe government must overcome six major problems, including a rigid and disabled civil service system, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday as he again called for the adoption of a parliamentary system. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je presents his vision of a more parliamentary-style government at his campaign headquarters in New Taipei City yesterday. Moreover, jobs in civil service have become reward posts for the KMT and the DPP to hand out, he said, adding that the system is too rigid. Civil service exams should be improved with more focus on aptitude and oral tests, while civil servants’ salaries should be increased to boost morale, he said. The former Taipei mayor also proposed setting up a permanent judicial reform commission and a national judicial science committee.
Source:Taipei Times
December 20, 2023 03:35 UTC
Mumbai Indians pick Pandya as captain over Rohit
Mumbai Indians pick Pandya as captain over RohitAFP, NEW DELHIThe Mumbai Indians on Friday appointed star all-rounder Hardik Pandya to lead in next year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) season, replacing all-format India captain Rohit Sharma, who led the franchise to five title wins. The Mumbai Indians said the change in leadership was a part of their planning and thanked Rohit, the joint-most-successful captain in the tournament’s history alongside the Chennai Super Kings’ M.S. India’s Hardik Pandya reacts during their ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Oct. 11. “It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”Jayawardene expressed gratitude to Rohit, 36, for his “exceptional leadership” since taking the reins in 2013. Rohit led Mumbai 163 times in the IPL and the Champions League T20, winning 91 games, drawing four and losing 68.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2023 16:41 UTC
People want change, but not the KMT, Ko Wen-je says
People want change, but not the KMT, Ko Wen-je saysBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterWhile 65 percent of Taiwanese want the ruling party to change, 70 percent do not want the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to take over, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday. Recent polls have consistently shown Ko with the lowest support rate, meaning he would be most affected if the phenomenon plays out. Supporters of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je, not pictured, wave the TPP flag as well as the national flag at the party’s campaign rally in Tainan yesterday. They were greeted by supporters waving the national flag or the blue TPP flag. The TPP must win so it could give Taiwan back to the people, he added.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2023 16:40 UTC
Why the Indian Ocean could be China’s Achilles’ heel in a Taiwan war
In a major war, Chinese oil tankers in the Indian Ocean “would find themselves very vulnerable,” said David Brewster, a security scholar at the Australian National University. China’s defense ministry did not respond to questions about its position in the Indian Ocean. The US Indian Ocean presence remains in stark contrast, reflecting its Cold War build-up. But China is yet to test its most potent assets in the Indian Ocean, one former Western intelligence analyst said. Some analysts expect that to change, particularly as PLA documents stress the piracy patrols’ importance in protecting Indian Ocean supply lines.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2023 03:35 UTC
I can manage the US and China best, Ko Wen-je says
I can manage the US and China best, Ko Wen-je saysBy Tsai Yun-jung and Jason Pan / Staff reportersTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said he would be the best choice to handle US-China tensions because both sides can trust him, as he compared his party to the Jesuit order. “I am the most capable among the three candidates of handling relations with the US and China. “On the other hand, although I have visited China and made friends there, Taiwanese people would still have trust in me, as this is the most important thing,” he added. “I am the safest choice here that both sides [the US and China] can accept.”Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je, left, holds a flag with legislative candidate Chen Wan-hui during a campaign event in Yilan County yesterday. That Ko had said in previous interviews he would not have to resign as TPP chairman if he loses the election shows that he could rule for life, Liu said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 16, 2023 03:33 UTC
Lai must respond to questions, Ko says
Lai must respond to questions, Ko saysStaff Writer, with CNATaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Wednesday called on Vice President William Lai (賴清德) to clarify his stance on Taiwanese independence, which Ko said has left many confused. Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate Ko Wen-je is pictured in Taipei in an undated photograph. “[Former DPP chairperson and pro-democracy movement activist] Huang Hsin-chieh (黃信介) said pushing for Taiwan independence is something you do, not something you speak of, but Lai has neither done nor spoken of it,” Ko said. Lai has declined media requests to reply to Ko’s statements, saying he would not respond to “personal attacks.”Ko said it was fine that Lai did not want to respond, but that he must respond to people’s questions. Lai might as well be honest and say Taiwan independence is “not viable for the time being,” Ko said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2023 21:38 UTC
Central bank leaves rates unchanged
Central bank leaves rates unchangedSTAYING STEADY: The central bank decided not to deviate from its current policy rates on the back of the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep its rate in placeBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterThe central bank yesterday left its policy rate intact for the third straight quarter, saying that inflationary pressure has moderated and a policy pause would help support the economy amid lingering global uncertainty. Central bank governor Yang Chin-long, speaks during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Taiwan’s central bank held interest rates steady at its final meeting of the year, leaving borrowing costs at their highest levels in eight years as the nation gears up for a critical January election. The central bank is looking at GDP growth of 3.12 percent next year, from a 1.4 percent this year. Central bank officials attributed the uptick mainly to a low base.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2023 21:38 UTC
Ministry calls for peaceful resolution in Guatemala issue
Ministry calls for peaceful resolution in Guatemala issueStaff writer, CNATaiwan on Tuesday expressed hope that Guatemala’s ongoing controversy over its newly elected leader would be resolved peacefully, days after prosecutors there tried to prevent Guatemalan president-elect Bernardo Arevalo from taking office next month. Cheng Li-cheng, head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Arevalo, son of former Guatemala president Juan Jose Arevalo Bermejo, won his country’s presidential runoff in August by beating former Guatemalan first lady Sandra Torres Casanova by a 61 to 39 percent margin. “We believe it is perfectly feasible to have good relations with both the [People’s] Republic of China and Taiwan,” Arevalo told Reuters during a post-victory interview in August. Following Honduras’ decision to cut ties with Taiwan in March, Taiwan was left with only 13 diplomatic allies worldwide, with Guatemala and Belize the only ones in Central America.
Source:Taipei Times
December 14, 2023 03:34 UTC
Manchester United slide out of UEFA Champions League
Manchester United slide out of UEFA Champions LeagueAFP, MANCHESTER, EnglandManchester United on Tuesday bowed out of Europe with a whimper as a 1-0 defeat to Bayern Munich rounded off a miserable UEFA Champions League campaign that has put Erik ten Hag’s future as manager in doubt. United have lost 12 of their opening 24 games of the season — a run that has also ended their defense of the League Cup and sees them languishing sixth in the Premier League. They finished bottom of the Champions League’s Group A as FC Copenhagen took the second qualifying spot behind Bayern following their 1-0 win over Galatasaray SK. Manchester United’s Dutch manager Erik ten Hag watches their UEFA Champions League Group A match against Bayern Munich at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Tuesday. In contrast to the gloom in Manchester, there was joy in the Danish capital, as Copenhagen qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League for just the second time in their history.
Source:Taipei Times
December 13, 2023 18:33 UTC
Many drums beating in Indo-Pacific
Many drums beating in Indo-PacificBy Gurjit SinghChina-ASEAN relations have acquired a tenuous stability and economic engagement continues unabated. Despite Indonesia’s proactive leadership of ASEAN negotiations with China regarding the code of conduct in the South China Sea, differences remain. This is unacceptable to other nations, notably Quad members, which resist giving China control of the South China Sea. Indonesia held the first ASEAN Indo-Pacific Forum in September. There are many drummers beating around the Indo-Pacific region, and the Chinese drumming is not the only beat that is being heard.
Source:Taipei Times
December 13, 2023 17:09 UTC
Ko lays out transportation policies
Ko lays out transportation policiesBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe law should be amended if most people are against allowing heavy motorcycles on freeways, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday, going back on his previous policy proposal while sharing his vision for improving transportation in the nation. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je presents his transportation policy at his campaign headquarters in New Taipei City’s Sinjhuang District yesterday. They also include fragmented information hindering overall development, and the slow upgrade of international airports and harbors, he said. Other solutions include leaving the evaluation of major transportation infrastructure to professionals with expertise; facing public opinion honestly; accelerating transit-oriented development; perfecting the aerial and maritime transportation network; enhancing data analysis; greening airports and harbors; cultivating professional airport and harbor personnel; integrating national data; developing intelligent transportation systems; and launching a national traffic app. The feasibility of transportation development plans must be assessed before allocating budgets, or else election promises are empty, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 13, 2023 05:17 UTC
Taiwan’s economy might expand 3.1%, bank says
Taiwan’s economy might expand 3.1%, bank saysBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTaiwan’s economy might expand 3.1 percent next year, faster than the 1.1 percent growth estimated for this year, as inventory adjustments would end this quarter, allowing restocking demand to increase, Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan said yesterday. Taiwan’s economy might expand 3.1 percent next year, Standard Chartered Bank Taiwan said yesterday. Chinese tourists would contribute to Taiwan’s tourism sector if the two sides allow greater civilian exchanges after Taiwan’s presidential election next month, he said. The domestic property market would also come out of the woods next year after dodging a hard landing this year, Phoo said. The property market’s resilience has much to do with relatively low borrowing costs and prudent financial planning by homebuyers, he said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 13, 2023 03:30 UTC
2024 Elections: Lai observes Formosa Incident memory at rally
Lai was marking the 44th anniversary of the Formosa Incident, also known as the Kaohsiung Incident. The Formosa Incident was a pro-democracy demonstration organized by Formosa Magazine employees on Dec. 10, 1979 — Human Rights Day. “We must not forget the pioneers of the Taiwan democracy movement. “We must again march shoulder to shoulder and united together as one to safeguard our democracy,” he said. “If we accept such policies, that state that Taiwan belongs to China, then Taiwanese sovereignty would no longer exist,” he said.
Source:Taipei Times
December 10, 2023 20:06 UTC
2024 Elections: With nod to Tsai’s US, defense policies, Ko vows moderate local, China approach
2024 Elections: With nod to Tsai’s US, defense policies, Ko vows moderate local, China approachBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTaiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that while he would reference President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) US and national defense policies, his policies on domestic affairs and cross-strait relations would be more moderate and rational if elected. After Ko on Wednesday said during an interview that he would pursue Tsai’s national defense and foreign policies, a number of people have questioned why they should not just vote for Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate who has pledged to follow Tsai’s direction for his foreign policies. Tsai has been devoted to improving relationships with allies and bolstering Taiwan’s military self-reliance, which he recognizes and would continue to seek, but the deadlock in cross-strait relations should be re-examined, he said. Ko said if Lai is no longer a pragmatic political worker for Taiwanese independence due to pressure from the US, then he thinks that Lai is essentially a “Taiwanese independence liar” that has used the claim to deceive supporters and garner votes. Ko said he would reference Tsai’s US and national defense policies, heading toward Taiwan’s autonomy, but seek a moderate and rational path for internal affairs and cross-strait relations, resuming communication with the other side of the Taiwan Strait and establishing a trustworthy dialogue system between the two countries if elected.
Source:Taipei Times
December 10, 2023 20:06 UTC