President Ma Ying-jeou, in his capacity as chairman of the ruling Kuomintang (KMT), is calling on Taiwanese businesspeople based in China to vote in the upcoming local elections in November.
Ma made the comments in an event in Taipei on Saturday. He was announcing the establishment of a group aimed at mobilizing support for the KMT among China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
Ma said during the last six years, he has led Taiwan in fostering closer relations with China. He also said that in so doing, tensions across the Taiwan Strait were reduced. Ma called on KMT supporters to help the party win the November elections to ensure further development in Taiwan’s relations with China.
Ma said that the race in November will be "tight" for KMT candidates in certain areas. On Friday the biggest opposition, the Democratic Progressive Party, said in addition to the six counties and cities that it already controls, the party may win the elections in Taichung, Penghu, and Keelung.