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Presidential campaign news
The Central Election Commission yesterday conducted the draw for party numbers for the 2024 General Election.
Key political parties received their official numbers: the DPP drew number 6, the KMT secured number 9, and the TPP was assigned number 12.
This draw determines the order of party listings on the election ballot. Representatives from various parties, including high-profile nominees, attended this pivotal event.
This drawing process is a crucial step in the electoral procedure, setting the stage for voters to make their choices in the upcoming election.
The assignment of numbers is more than a formality, as it can influence voter recognition and preference at the polls. The full list of party numbers ranges from 1 to 16.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) has announced the military will implement enhanced security measures around election day next year.
With election day set for 13 January, the measures will take place from 5:00 pm on the 12th to 8:00 am on the 14th.
The MND says the military will adjust forces according to disposal regulations and take relevant actions promptly, ensuring readiness through drills, operational preparedness, and communication coordination.
They say surveillance methods are employed to closely monitor maritime and airspace dynamics around Taiwan, in case of any activity from the People's Liberation Army.
In other campaign news, dozens of Taiwanese scholars and researchers gathered together at the ruling Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) headquarters in Taipei on Tuesday in a show of support for the party's presidential candidate Lai Ching-te and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim.
More than 2,000 Taiwanese academics based in the country or overseas are said to have signed up for an informal group to champion the DPP ticket.
National Pingtung University of Science and Technology professor of food science Wu Ming-chang said that he hoped the endorsement would motivate independent voters and young scholars in Taiwan to support the Lai-Hsiao ticket.
Wu said that the 1,880 academics who had signed up for the group were currently based in Taiwan, 136 in North America, and the rest in Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
Meanwhile, TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je is criticizing Taiwan's low tax revenues as potentially risky and advocated reforms to strengthen Taiwan's financial resilience.
Unveiling his financial policies at a news conference, Ko said Taiwan is faced with financial risks due to rising tensions with China, while the low ratio of government tax revenues to gross domestic product has left its finances vulnerable to a potential crisis.
He claimed that due to the low ratio of tax revenues to GDP, the government has become more dependent on the central bank's earnings to make up for the government's tax revenue shortfall.
Ko also said that if elected he would try to improve the central bank's decision-making transparency and hold it accountable for its policies.
He also says the central bank should make public its market intervention data, including the amount it spends to intervene on foreign exchange markets.
In other news, opposition KMT vice presidential candidate Jaw Shau-kong is calling on Beijing to treat Hong Kong well.
Speaking at a forum held at National Taiwan University, Jaw opened by vocally supporting Jimmy Lai, the jailed founder of Hong Kong's Digital Media and advocate of Hong Kong democracy on the opening day of his trial.
Jaw said that while he disapproved of the disorder on the streets that left Hong Kong a mess, possibly referring to mass protests that took place during 2019 and 2020, he was also against locking Lai up indefinitely.
Jaw says China's treatment of Hong Kong sets an example for Taiwan, which is unlikely to feel reassured about the "one country, two systems" formula or Beijing's communist regime.
