The foreign ministry in Taipei confirmed on Tuesday that Hsiao, who will be inaugurated on May 20, is in the central European country, saying she was there to “meet friends” and “exchange views”. Lin Jian, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry, reacted by saying “the Chinese side firmly opposes any form of official exchanges” between … Read more
William Lai Ching-te, the candidate for the independence-leaning DPP, is seeking to rewrite the island’s presidential election history by winning an unprecedented third consecutive term for his party. Throughout the race, Lai, the deputy of incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen, has faced stiff challenges from his major opponent, New Taipei mayor Hou Yu-ih of the main … Read more
Taiwan’s opposition set for last-ditch talks on joint presidential ticket “I believe Bi-khim is definitely the best person when it comes to Taiwan’s foreign work today and she is also a rare diplomatic talent,” Lai said on Facebook on Monday. He said Hsiao had helped improve the island’s ties with Washington in recent years, and … Read more
“China cut off communication channels with the DPP when Tsai Ing-wen was elected [as president in 2016] … I think that was an unrealistic stance. I wish China would moderate that stance and be willing to open channels, informal or formal,” said Douglas Paal, the head of the American Institute in Taiwan – the de … Read more
KMT candidate Hou Yu-ih also registered on Friday. His running mate is fellow KMT member and former legislator Jaw Shaw-kong, who is also CEO and chairman of the Broadcasting Corporation of China. The registration capped weeks of back and forth in which the two Beijing-friendly parties failed to resolve a dispute over who would head … Read more
The pair officially registered their candidacies the next day, as the island’s main opposition Kuomintang and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party failed to agree on a joint ticket to challenge Lai. With her reputation as a calm, rational and highly capable politician who is highly regarded in the political, diplomatic and academic circles of Washington, … Read more
