On his return from an eight-day China tour, Wu told the press at Taoyuan International Airport that the Kuomintang would elect a new chairman next month according to its bylaws.

"We have the election mechanism," Wu said, "and we would follow it to the letter to elect our new leader."

Speculation is rife that an in-party fight is coming to a head as President Ma Ying-jeou is forcing Wu out in order to also serve as chairman of the ruling party.

"Let's wait for a few more days to find out," Wu said.

Ma and Wu are reported to have agreed not to talk about the election of the new party chairman until mid-June. Wu's current term as party chairman expires in July and the election has to take place next month. The last day Wu and Ma agreed to make known their neutral stands on the party leadership election is June 14.

President Ma is currently on a Central American tour. He arrived in San Salvador yesterday to attend the inauguration of President Mauricio Funes of El Salvador today. He will then fly back to Taipei on Thursday via Seattle, Washington.

What Wu wanted to say is that the press should wait until Ma is back in Taipei and then ask him whether he has decided to run in order to retake the chairmanship which he quit on December 30, 2006, after he had been indicted for corruption. He had been charged with misusing his office's expense account while he was mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006. He was tried but was absolved by the Supreme Court shortly after he was elected president on March 22 last year.

On the other hand, Wu stressed he would help Ma win re-election in 2012.

"Our coming election," Wu said, "will be dealt with to benefit the party and President Ma in the 2012 election. We are striving in that direction."

Of course, Wu may stay on as Kuomintang chairman to help President Ma win a second term. As party chairman, Wu contributed in no small measure to Ma's landslide victory a year ago. Wu also wants to bid for a second term himself. He was elected in 2006 to succeed Ma. Wu's current term isn't a full one.

The Kuomintang must remain united, Wu emphasized. "We did have a bitter experience [previously]," he said. James Soong bolted the Kuomintang to run as an independent in the 2000 presidential election.

Chen Shui-bian narrowly beat Soong in 2000, thanks to the split in the Kuomintang, which fielded Lien Chan. Lien trailed far behind to finish in third place.

"We have learned the lesson, and we don't want to repeat the mistake," Wu pointed out. That seems to mean that he wants to go along with Ma and retire in favor of the president.

Accompanied by a high-power delegation, Wu left for Beijing on May 25. He met his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao in Beijing to set the agenda for a regular forum sponsored jointly by the Kuomintang and the Chinese Communist Party.

"On the agenda are cultural and educational exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait," Wu pointed out. He and Lien Chan, now honorary Kuomintang chairman, will take part in the conference scheduled for July.

Changsha in the province of Hunan is likely to host the meeting.

Prior to his return, Wu received an honorary doctorate from Nanjing University and paid homage to Dr. Sun Yat-sen at his mausoleum in the former seat of the Kuomintang government.

Dr. Sun, founder of the Kuomintang and the Chinese republic, died in Beijing on March 13, 1925. His remains were interred at the mausoleum in Nanjing on June 1, 1929.