TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) vice presidential candidate Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) on Saturday (Nov. 25) pledged to bolster KMT support ahead of the presidential election, scheduled for Jan. 13, 2024.

Ensuring a KMT victory is crucial, Jaw said.

He asserted that only a KMT victory could bring hope and a future for Taiwan while maintaining peaceful cross-strait relations, CNA reported. He criticized the current Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, claiming it increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait and deceived the public by asserting that a cross-strait conflict would not happen.

Jaw stressed that this election is about choosing between war and peace. He urged people to vote for the KMT if they want peace, prosperity, clean politics, and stability in the Taiwan Strait.

Jaw said that if the KMT presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) won the election, they would reinstate a special investigation unit to apprehend corrupt officials involved in scandals like mask and vaccine procurement and the submarine program information leak. He also criticized DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德) for claiming to be a guardian of peace.

Jaw blasted Lai as someone who was previously associated with Taiwan independence and is now portrayed as a protector of peace.

The vice president candidate commended Hou for his courage and broad-mindedness. Jaw said they could complement each other by focusing on different regions of Taiwan during their campaign: he would concentrate on northern Taiwan while Hou could tour central and southern regions to consolidate KMT votes.

Hou selected Jaw as his running mate on Friday (Nov. 24) after cooperation talks between the KMT, Taiwan People’s Party, and independent presidential candidate Terry Gou (郭台銘) broke down. Jaw is the chair of the Broadcasting Corporation of China.