https://www.scmp.com/rss/503303/feed Han Kuo-yu is one of the presidential candidates in the 2020 Taiwan election. The mayor of Kaohsiung, he is the Kuomintang party's candidate running against incumbent president Tsai Ing-wen. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan is at risk of missing out on three US-approved weapons packages for the first time because of delays to a stalled NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget in the legislature. The unprecedented situation has prompted Defence Minister Wellington Koo Li-hsiung to urge opposition lawmakers to give the budget emergency authorisation ahead of a March 15 deadline, when letters of offer and acceptance for three arms deals will expire. If the deals – to buy M109A7 self-propelled... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344482/taiwan-may-see-us-arms-deals-fall-through-first-time-because-legislative-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344482/taiwan-may-see-us-arms-deals-fall-through-first-time-because-legislative-deadlock?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Feb 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Lawrence Chung Lawrence Chung Taiwan’s parliament is set to prioritise review of a disputed NT$1.25 trillion (US$40 billion) special defence budget bill when its new session begins on Tuesday, as pressure mounts from Washington. But US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks about consulting Chinese President Xi Jinping on arms sales could complicate the debate, potentially giving Taipei’s opposition parties greater room to manoeuvre and reshape the final version of the bill, according to analysts. The renewed push follows... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344220/how-trumps-beijing-bargaining-could-derail-taiwans-multibillion-dollar-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3344220/how-trumps-beijing-bargaining-could-derail-taiwans-multibillion-dollar-defence-budget?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:00:26 +0000 Han Kuo-yu, Taiwan’s new legislative speaker from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang (KMT), is expected to take up the helm as chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy (TFD), an entity sanctioned by Beijing. The non-profit, government-funded organisation plays a key role in Taiwan’s engagement with the world. Its stated goals are to build partnerships with civil society groups, think tanks, and non-governmental groups in democratic countries, support democratisation in Asia, and to further... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3253857/mainland-china-friendly-taiwanese-lawmaker-tipped-lead-group-tasked-promoting-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3253857/mainland-china-friendly-taiwanese-lawmaker-tipped-lead-group-tasked-promoting-democracy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 Mar 2024 11:00:33 +0000 Days before Taiwan’s main opposition Kuomintang party elects a new leader, a hardline pro-unification candidate has dramatically emerged as the front runner, to seriously threaten what was to have been a two-way race between the incumbent and former chairman on Saturday. Four candidates are vying for the KMT’s top post and, even until late last month, all eyes were still on the fierce campaign between ex-chairman and New Taipei mayor Eric Chu Li-luan, 60, and incumbent chairman Johnny Chiang,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3149442/taiwan-will-dark-horse-pushing-cross-strait-union-upend-two-way?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3149442/taiwan-will-dark-horse-pushing-cross-strait-union-upend-two-way?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Sep 2021 12:00:27 +0000 There is still five months to go until the election to head Taiwan’s main opposition party but already the race is shaping up to attract a big field. Whoever wins the chairmanship of the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang is expected to go on to become the party’s nominee for the island’s presidency in 2024 – or at the very least influence who that candidate will be. And unlike the two or three people usually vying for the position, incumbent chairman Johnny Chiang could be facing half a dozen... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3123440/hopefuls-lining-lead-taiwans-kuomintang-out-wilderness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3123440/hopefuls-lining-lead-taiwans-kuomintang-out-wilderness?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Feb 2021 02:00:11 +0000 A popular talk show host once considered a star in the world of Taiwanese politics has rejoined the island’s main opposition party after almost 30 years away, in what observers say could signal the start of a run for the presidency in 2024. Jaw Shaw-kong announced his return to the Kuomintang (KMT) on Monday. He left it in 1993 to form the New Party, which advocates Taiwan’s reunification with mainland China. The 70-year-old left politics altogether in 1996, two years after losing the Taipei... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3120774/taiwan-needs-strong-leader-talk-show-host-jaw-shaw-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3120774/taiwan-needs-strong-leader-talk-show-host-jaw-shaw-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Feb 2021 04:00:20 +0000 After a year of electoral tragedy, Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang invited Hong Kong comic actor Stanley Fung Shui-fan to speak at the first of a series of forums on Wednesday designed to help revive the party’s fortunes. Addressing the public at the first of the KMT’s “democracy salons” in Taipei, Fung said he still identified as a supporter of the party despite his great disappointment with it. “The KMT is a historical and revolutionary party which set up the Republic of China,” Fung said,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3103720/taiwans-kmt-turns-comic-actor-tackle-election-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3103720/taiwans-kmt-turns-comic-actor-tackle-election-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2020 11:18:30 +0000 On August 15, Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party regained Kaohsiung in the mayoral by-election, held after failed presidential contender Han Kuo-yu was recalled from the post. The DPP’s Chen Chi-mai, a former vice-premier, pulled just over 70 per cent of votes. The opposition Kuomintang candidate, Li Mei-jhen, who was outed for plagiarising speech notes for her postgraduate thesis, only received 25.9 per cent of the total ballots cast. When drafting my previous letter, “KMT must take... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3100242/taiwans-kmt-get-wake-call-kaohsiung-mayoral-rout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3100242/taiwans-kmt-get-wake-call-kaohsiung-mayoral-rout?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Sep 2020 23:15:07 +0000 Fighting broke out again at Taiwan’s parliament on Friday as opposition lawmakers continued to bitterly oppose the nomination by President Tsai Ing-wen of a senior aide to a top government watchdog post. The Kuomintang (KMT) has labelled the nomination of Chen Chu to head the Control Yuan, an independent government watchdog, as “cronyism” and mounted a noisy campaign to try and prevent the move. Earlier this week the KMT – which was soundly beaten by Tsai and her Democratic Progressive Party... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3093570/taiwan-parliament-turmoil-again-over-disputed-nomination?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3093570/taiwan-parliament-turmoil-again-over-disputed-nomination?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jul 2020 04:48:17 +0000 Many people in Hong Kong and Taiwan have long held that the Kuomintang (KMT) is a pro-China party (“To win back Taiwan, KMT must return to its anti-communist roots”, June 22). In their minds, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) represents democracy and freedom. When Kaohsiung citizens removed Han Kuo-yu as their mayor, many people even interpreted this as a failure of President Xi Jinping’s Taiwan policy. However, these perceptions are not accurate, as the KMT has always supported democracy... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3090590/hong-kongs-true-friend-taiwan-kuomintang?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3090590/hong-kongs-true-friend-taiwan-kuomintang?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 22:15:14 +0000 In June, voters in Kaohsiung city, Taiwan, made history by ousting their controversial mayor Han Kuo-yu with 939,000 votes. After the recall vote went against him, Han, instead of reflecting on his actions, blamed the Democratic Progressive Party for expending a great deal of effort on removing him from office, rather than working for the welfare of the people. However, pointing fingers is not a wise course of action for the Kuomintang and its members. Han himself and his party must bear much of... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3089293/win-back-taiwan-kmt-must-return-its-anti-communist-roots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3089293/win-back-taiwan-kmt-must-return-its-anti-communist-roots?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Jun 2020 22:45:13 +0000 The removal of Han Kuo-yu as Kaohsiung mayor highlights the failure of Beijing’s Taiwan policy. Apart from Hong Kong’s situation and Han’s own political miscalculations, Beijing is partly responsible of Han’s downfall. There are three lessons Beijing can learn. First, hearts and minds are not for sale. Beijing tried and failed to win Taiwanese over with Han’s mainland visit last year. Han’s Hong Kong liaison office tour and trade deals with mainland companies ignored the 79 per cent of Taiwanese... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3089392/three-lessons-beijing-taiwan-policy-han-kuo-yus-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3089392/three-lessons-beijing-taiwan-policy-han-kuo-yus-downfall?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Jun 2020 23:10:08 +0000 Less than two years ago, Han Kuo-yu was the great hope of Taiwan’s Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party. Running on a platform of economic prosperity for all and playing down the party’s traditional pro-unification views, Han stormed home in a traditional Democratic Progressive Party stronghold to become mayor of Kaohsiung – the island’s second-biggest city – in late 2018. His win raised hopes within the party that he could be the one to lead them out of the electoral wilderness and forge a path... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3088931/its-star-gone-it-time-kmt-rethink-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3088931/its-star-gone-it-time-kmt-rethink-ties-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2020 09:00:16 +0000 The rise and fall of Han Kuo-yu is a lesson to all aspiring politicians and those who back them. He was removed as mayor of Kaohsiung – Taiwan’s second-biggest city – in a landmark recall vote at the weekend, punishment for putting ambitions ahead of duties by taking a leave of absence to run for the presidency against Tsai Ing-wen in January. But he was also swept up in the rivalry between the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the anti-independence Kuomintang (KMT),... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088096/han-kuo-yus-downfall-lesson-taiwan-politics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3088096/han-kuo-yus-downfall-lesson-taiwan-politics?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2020 12:44:05 +0000 Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen has appealed for opposing factions on the self-ruled island to reconcile their differences following the removal of her former opponent Han Kuo-yu as mayor of Kaohsiung and the death of one of his allies. Han lost his position in the southern port city in an unprecedented recall vote on Saturday. “More than 900,000 Kaohsiung residents made a collective decision and took Taiwan’s democracy a step forward,” Tsai said on Facebook late on Saturday. “The result should... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3087924/taiwans-tsai-ing-wen-calls-reconciliation-after-mayoral-recall?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3087924/taiwans-tsai-ing-wen-calls-reconciliation-after-mayoral-recall?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Jun 2020 14:00:25 +0000 Voters in Taiwan’s southern port city of Kaohsiung lined up on Saturday morning to cast ballots on a recall motion of mayor Han Kuo-yu, a vote that will have ripple effects on the island’s future elections. Han, a 62-year-old former legislator from New Taipei, drew harsh criticism from the public over his failed bid for president in January as the Kuomintang (KMT) candidate against the incumbent Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) – less than six months after he won a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3087833/han-kuo-yu-who-lost-taiwan-presidential-race-january-now-facing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3087833/han-kuo-yu-who-lost-taiwan-presidential-race-january-now-facing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2020 00:49:31 +0000 When it comes to crucial elections for the highest office, there is no place in the world where outside factors take precedence over local issues – other than in Taiwan. Mainland China’s increasingly hawkish attitude towards the island, Hong Kong’s anti-Beijing protests, and Washington’s support of the democratic aspirations in those two Chinese communities have all contributed to Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) landslide victory in the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3046595/taiwan-election-hong-kong-won-it-beijing-lost-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/opinion/article/3046595/taiwan-election-hong-kong-won-it-beijing-lost-it?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2020 03:00:19 +0000 Barely a year after her party’s crushing defeat in Taiwan’s local elections, President Tsai Ing-wen not only survived a cigarette smuggling scandal and accusations of a campaign of spreading disinformation, she rose like a phoenix from the ashes with a landslide victory in last week’s presidential election. Many think Tsai has Chinese President Xi Jinping to thank for this reversal of fortune. His overtures to Taiwan advocating “one country, two systems” for the island allowed Tsai to reinvent... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3046239/taiwans-young-voters-have-spoken-kmt-must-update-its-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3046239/taiwans-young-voters-have-spoken-kmt-must-update-its-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jan 2020 03:00:14 +0000 The re-election of Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen is a relief for Hong Kong protesters who fled to the self-ruled island and pinned their hopes on her in securing visas to stay. Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), comfortably beat her main challenger Han Kuo-yu, from the mainland China-friendly Kuomintang, in Saturday’s election – billed as a referendum on the island’s relations with Beijing. “I was a bit nervous before election day, seeing apathetic students... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045804/re-election-tsai-ing-wen-taiwans-president-brings-relief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045804/re-election-tsai-ing-wen-taiwans-president-brings-relief?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2020 05:00:17 +0000 Uncertainty hangs over the political future of Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu and the embattled Kuomintang (KMT) party after their heavy losses in Taiwan’s election over the weekend, analysts said. Han, from the mainland-friendly KMT, lost the presidency by a 20-point margin to incumbent Tsai Ing-wen, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), on Saturday. Tsai gained a record-breaking 8 million votes – nearly 3 million more than Han – in results seen as a repudiation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045754/where-kmt-after-han-kuo-yus-failed-bid-taiwan-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045754/where-kmt-after-han-kuo-yus-failed-bid-taiwan-president?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Jan 2020 00:45:10 +0000 Taiwan may face retaliation and increased pressure from Beijing after President Tsai Ing-wen’s landslide re-election victory, adding uncertainty to the already tense relationship between China and the United States, analysts said. Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), won a record-breaking 8.2 million votes, or 57 per cent of the total, in Taiwan’s election on Saturday against 5.5 million votes for her main opponent, Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, in what was... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3045714/entangled-us-china-taiwan-relations-likely-just-got-more?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3045714/entangled-us-china-taiwan-relations-likely-just-got-more?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 22:53:38 +0000 Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen won a second term on Saturday with a comfortable victory over Han Kuo-yu in an election that had been cast as a referendum on the island’s approach to Beijing. Tsai, from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), captured more than 8 million votes, trumping her major challenger, Han Kuo-yu, from the mainland-friendly Kuomintang by close to 3 million votes. Han, the populist mayor of Kaohsiung, conceded defeat and offered his congratulations to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045693/taiwan-elections-tsai-ing-wen-re-elected-president-victory-over?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045693/taiwan-elections-tsai-ing-wen-re-elected-president-victory-over?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 12:15:07 +0000 A Taiwanese man who had unwittingly been on a police wanted list for four years was detained at a polling station in Kaohsiung on Saturday morning after casting his vote in the island’s elections. The 46-year-old, identified only as Gong, was apprehended at a polling station at Juguang Elementary School in the city’s Nanzih district, United Daily News reported. Police said he was wanted in connection with an unspecified theft, but Gong said he was oblivious to his notoriety. The authorities had... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045668/taiwanese-man-wanted-theft-votes-himself-police-custody?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045668/taiwanese-man-wanted-theft-votes-himself-police-custody?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 09:03:06 +0000 Beijing might have made it more difficult for people from China’s mainland to travel to Taiwan but that did not stop three of them visiting the self-ruled island ahead of Saturday’s elections. One of them was 30-year-old small business owner Yang Yi, who said he applied for his travel permit in the few hours between Beijing announcing the restriction on July 30 and it taking effect the following day. “I am pretty worried about the relationship between the two sides over the next four years, as... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045594/taiwan-here-come-meet-mainlanders-who-bypassed-beijings-travel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045594/taiwan-here-come-meet-mainlanders-who-bypassed-beijings-travel?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 04:30:11 +0000 Early figures put incumbent leader Tsai Ing-wen ahead of her main rival Han Kuo-yu in the Taiwan presidential race, according to local television reports. Soon after the official count got under way – as the polls closed at 4pm – broadcaster EBC said Tsai had secured 3 million votes, or 56.6 per cent of the total, while Han had 38.8 per cent. SETN put the early split at 57 per cent for Tsai and 38.6 per cent for Han, while TVBS said Tsai had secured 3.08 million votes against Han’s 2.12... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045652/taiwan-votes-not-just-leader-way-forward-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045652/taiwan-votes-not-just-leader-way-forward-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 00:15:12 +0000 “Hong Kong is not far from Taiwan, just the distance of a flight ticket; Taiwan is not far from Hong Kong, just the distance of a ballot.” That is a popular saying shared online in the two places as Taiwan’s presidential election approaches on Saturday. It resonates with Hong Kong protesters because one of their core demands is for the head of the city’s government to be elected by popular ballot, a system already in place in Taiwan. For Taiwanese voters, the saying was a timely reminder to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045636/hong-kongs-anti-government-protests-loom-large-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3045636/hong-kongs-anti-government-protests-loom-large-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2020 23:15:10 +0000 A mainland Chinese university study forecasting a decisive win for President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan’s election on Saturday has been deleted from its website, hours after it was released. It concluded that Tsai, of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, would garner nearly 60 per cent of the vote to defeat her two Beijing-friendly rivals and be re-elected for a second term. The study was the result of more than a year of research by a team led by Tang Shiping, a professor at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045542/chinese-university-deletes-study-forecasting-win-tsai-ing-wen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045542/chinese-university-deletes-study-forecasting-win-tsai-ing-wen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2020 09:00:12 +0000 On the eve of Taiwan’s elections, the major presidential contenders made their final appeals to voters in front of the presidential office in Taipei. Tens of thousands of supporters for President Tsai Ing-wen, who is seeking re-election for the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), gathered in Ketagalan Boulevard on Friday evening waving pink and green party flags. “Every one of us must vote!” Tsai told the cheering crowd at the rally. “This is for the sake of the young people... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045509/taiwan-polls-kuomintangs-fight-goes-far-beyond-han-kuo-yus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045509/taiwan-polls-kuomintangs-fight-goes-far-beyond-han-kuo-yus?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jan 2020 06:00:17 +0000 A significant number of Taiwan’s voters remain undecided days before Saturday’s presidential election, which has become a proxy for the intensifying strategic rivalry between Beijing and Washington. Between 15 and 20 per cent of voters have yet to choose their preferred presidential candidate, according to most opinion polls, and a sizeable number of them are scrutinising the two main parties’ economic policy platforms and finding them wanting. Incumbent Tsai Ing-wen, of the independence-leaning... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045372/taiwan-voters-election-about-more-beijing-and-washington?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045372/taiwan-voters-election-about-more-beijing-and-washington?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 23:00:07 +0000 Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu has warned Beijing not to retaliate if it does not like the result of the island’s presidential election on Saturday. Wu told reporters on Thursday that Beijing should not “read too much into” Taiwan’s elections, and that the government and military would be monitoring any changes to the cross-strait situation after the vote. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, and has proposed bringing the democratic island into its fold through a “one country,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045349/taiwans-foreign-minister-warns-beijing-not-retaliate-if-it?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3045349/taiwans-foreign-minister-warns-beijing-not-retaliate-if-it?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Jan 2020 09:45:05 +0000 “Reset Kaohsiung, defend Taiwan! Step down, Han Kuo-yu!” The rallying cry from the thousands on the streets of Kaohsiung on December 21 did not stop at opposing Han’s campaign to win the Taiwanese presidency in January 11’s elections. It was a call to recall Han as the southern city’s mayor, only a year after he was elected in stunning style. A colourful procession’s call-and-response chanting bore a similarity to a slogan from Hong Kong’s anti-government protests – “liberate Hong Kong,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044205/landslide-win-uphill-task-year-taiwan-presidential-hopeful-han?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3044205/landslide-win-uphill-task-year-taiwan-presidential-hopeful-han?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Jan 2020 23:00:05 +0000 Chemistry student Chen Pin-yu will be voting for the first time when Taiwan heads to the polls next month, and she has already made her choice. “I’ll be giving my vote to Tsai Ing-wen because she is more capable of defending Taiwan than Han Kuo-yu or James Soong [Chu-yu],” the 21-year-old who studies at Tamkang University in Taipei said. Chen was concerned about the self-ruled island’s fate if President Tsai was not re-elected. “Given their pro-China stand, I believe Han and Soong would turn a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043837/battle-hearts-and-minds-young-voters-may-prove-crucial-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043837/battle-hearts-and-minds-young-voters-may-prove-crucial-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Dec 2019 22:00:18 +0000 With two weeks to go until Taiwan’s presidential election, a coalition of campaigners has begun the formal process of applying for a referendum to recall Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu, who launched a presidential run just months after taking the city’s top job. The coalition – led by Wecare Kaohsiung, Citizens Mowing Action, and the Taiwan Statebuilding Party – formally submitted the signatures of 30,000 Kaohsiung registered voters to the Central Election Commission on Thursday, calling for Han to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043559/taiwan-recall-campaigners-get-referendum-ball-rolling-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043559/taiwan-recall-campaigners-get-referendum-ball-rolling-against?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Dec 2019 10:00:20 +0000 Tens of thousands took to the streets of the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung on Saturday to demand the recall of the city’s mayor and opposition presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu, who organised his supporters in a large counter rally. The anti-Han rally, organised by local activists’ group Wecare Kaohsiung, started around 1pm with many marchers accusing him of selling out the city by abandoning it to pursue his presidential ambitions only months after being elected. Another mass... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043074/kaohsiung-braced-rival-political-rallies-and-against-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3043074/kaohsiung-braced-rival-political-rallies-and-against-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 21 Dec 2019 04:09:25 +0000 The wife of Taiwanese presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu has cancelled a trip to Singapore over “security concerns” and the ban on “foreign political activities” in the city state. Lee Chia-fen, who is currently in Malaysia, has visited several Asian countries including Japan, Cambodia and Indonesia to drum up support for Han ahead of his election showdown with President Tsai Ing-wen in January. The campaign office for Han, who represents the Beijing-friendly Kuomintang, said on Monday that it... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3039470/wife-taiwan-presidential-hopeful-han-kuo-yu-scraps-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3039470/wife-taiwan-presidential-hopeful-han-kuo-yu-scraps-singapore?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Nov 2019 14:09:56 +0000 Taiwan’s upcoming election will be a life-or-death battle for the self-governing island and a choice between cross-strait peace or crisis, the opposition Kuomintang’s presidential candidate said. Beijing-friendly Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu was officially nominated by the party on Sunday to challenge incumbent Tsai Ing-wen from the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party in the presidential poll in January – an election that will be closely watched by both Beijing and Washington amid... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3020407/kmt-presidential-candidate-han-kuo-yu-says-2020-election-will?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3020407/kmt-presidential-candidate-han-kuo-yu-says-2020-election-will?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Jul 2019 13:36:36 +0000 After a convincing win in the opposition Kuomintang primaries, Taiwanese presidential candidate Han Kuo-yu faces challenges that could cost him the election if he fails to tackle them, according to analysts. They said that the Kaohsiung mayor – who beat his closest rival, Foxconn’s billionaire founder Terry Gou Tai-ming, by 17 percentage points in the primaries – now needed to mend fences with Gou, convince his constituents and win over young voters. Gou congratulated Han on his nomination but... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3018884/kmt-candidate-han-kuo-yu-faces-uphill-battle-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3018884/kmt-candidate-han-kuo-yu-faces-uphill-battle-taiwan?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 16 Jul 2019 16:00:12 +0000 Kai Xuan Night Market was built on an abandoned amusement park in a newly developed area of Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s third-largest city and home to 2.8 million people. It feels like most of them are here on this humid Thursday evening, ram­med into the 30,000-square-metre compound lined with food stalls selling sesame-oil chicken and fried stinky tofu. Through the crowds, photographers jostle to capture their subject, the south-coast city’s mayor, Han Kuo-yu, as he banters for the cameras with an... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3018052/who-han-kuo-yu-could-kaohsiungs-populist-mayor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3018052/who-han-kuo-yu-could-kaohsiungs-populist-mayor?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2019 23:45:14 +0000