No plan to greenlight aid for Taipower: KMT Chair

Taipei, July 10 (CNA) Kuomintang (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said Thursday that Taiwan's main opposition party will not support a Cabinet-proposed special bill that includes NT$100 billion in aid for the financially struggling Taiwan Power Co. (Taipower).

Chu reaffirmed the KMT's stance, emphasizing that the party will not pass the bill in exchange for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) supporting a KMT-proposed plan to distribute NT$10,000 in cash handouts to Taiwan nationals and residents.

"[The KMT] will absolutely not back down even one step on this issue, and that is not going to change," Chu told reporters Thursday when asked whether his position had softened.

The special bill was drafted to cushion the potential impact of additional tariffs expected to be announced by U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration in the coming days.

At a KMT Central Standing Committee meeting Wednesday, Chu proposed a compromise in which the KMT would insist on the inclusion of the cash handouts in the Cabinet-proposed bill.

If passed, the KMT-backed version would increase funding for economic stimulus from the current NT$93 billion to NT$320 billion, raising total spending in the bill from NT$410 billion to NT$640 billion.

However, as of Thursday, it remained unclear who would qualify for the handouts if the proposal is approved.

Chu's remarks were followed by a report in the United Daily News citing anonymous sources, which claimed he might consider approving the NT$100 billion in support for the state-run Taipower -- potentially stirring up discontent in the party.

The KMT has advocated extending the service life of the Maanshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County, which had its reactor turned off in mid-May, accusing the DPP of clinging to its "nuclear-free homeland" policy at the expense of rising electricity costs for the public.

In response to Chu's push for cash handouts, both DPP Secretary-General Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) and DPP legislative caucus whip Wu Szu-yao (吳思瑤) questioned the proposal's motives.

During his visit to Hualien County on Thursday, Lin said the KMT appeared to be using the handout proposal to help its lawmakers survive upcoming recall votes in late July and August.

Lin said the Cabinet's bill was based on "thorough planning" encompassing national security, economic stability, and social welfare, and called on voters to support the recall of KMT lawmaker Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) in late July.

According to the Central Election Commission, 26 KMT district lawmakers face recall votes -- 24 on July 26 and two on Aug. 23. Suspended Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安), formerly of the opposition Taiwan People's Party (TPP), will also face a recall vote in late July.

Meanwhile, Wu criticized the KMT's proposal as "asking for the moon," and urged Chu to first build consensus within his own party and with the TPP.

The KMT and the TPP, which together hold a majority of seats in the Legislature, are expected to take more concrete action after the White House announces its tariff plan for Taiwan.