Claims KMT aligning itself with Beijing 'meaningless': Jaw Shau-kong

Taipei, Dec. 9 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) on Saturday described claims that the opposition party has aligned itself with Beijing as "meaningless."

Responding to allegations made by Taiwan People's Party (TPP) presidential candidate Ko Wen-je's (柯文哲), Jaw told a campaign event that KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) had dedicated his whole life to serving Taiwan and had not once turned his back on the country.

Jaw dismissed Ko's claims that the KMT had "rapidly aligned itself with China" as "meaningless."

Ko has accused the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) of portraying him as a supporter of Beijing but has now used the same tactic on the KMT, said Jaw, head of the Broadcasting Corporation of China.

Recent polls have shown that Ko's support is trailing that of the KMT ticket, which explains why the TPP candidate felt the need to "throw red paint," Jaw said.

Meanwhile, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), who also attended the event, said polls commissioned by the KMT for its members showed that antipathy toward Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the DPP presidential candidate, and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) to be the highest among the three sets of candidates, while antipathy toward Hou and Jaw was the lowest.

The more people get to know Hou and Jaw, the more they will come to like them and realize that their policy proposals are truly beneficial for society and the country, Chu said.