Category: Government

The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said Wednesday it had selected Enoch Wu (吳怡農) to contest the legislative seat left vacant by Taipei Mayor-elect Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT).

Announcing his candidacy, Wu said he was committed to strengthening Taiwan’s national security, sharpening the country’s competitiveness, and connecting it to the world.

Wu added he would also put forth proposals for reforming conscription in Taiwan, as well as plans for urban revitalization and making the country bilingual in Chinese and English.

Wu, a former deputy director of the DPP-affiliated New Frontier Foundation, lost in the same constituency to Chiang in 2020.

In a social media post, Taipei City Councilor Ruan Jhao-syong (阮昭雄) said that acting-DPP chairman Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) had informed him of Wu’s selection by phone.

Ruan — who had been tipped to contest the by-election in Taipei’s third constituency– said he would give Wu his full support.

Wu served as the head of the DPP’s Taipei chapter until June this year, when he gave up his reelection bid for the post, citing an ambition to vie for a seat in the Legislative Yuan in the 2024 election.

With his former opponent heading to city hall, Wu’s chance to recontest Taipei City Constituency III has come earlier than expected.

The Central Election Commission has set a date of Jan. 8 next year for the by-election, with candidate registration open from Nov. 28 to Dec. 2.

Later on Wednesday, two mooted KMT picks, recently reelected city councilors Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) and Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯), both ruled themselves out of the running to replace Chiang.

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

The de facto American ambassador to Taiwan on Tuesday praised the “free and fair” local elections held on Saturday, saying the United States government will continue to work closely with future governments in Taiwan regardless of their political affiliation as it has always done.

Sandra Oudkirk, director of the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) Taipei office, made the comment during an annual press conference.

In opening remarks at the press event, Oudkirk congratulated Taiwan for holding local government elections nationwide on Saturday where voters cast ballots to choose mayors, county chiefs and local councilors.

“I look forward to continuing to work with those who were reelected and to working with those who are newly elected once they take office at the end of December.”

During a follow-up question-and-answer session when asked about the U.S. view of the elections, the envoy said they were “free and fair,” and the will of the voters “was fully expressed.”

Oudkirk said that since she first arrived Taiwan in the early 1990s, Taiwan has developed into an “advanced economy and a vibrant democracy.”

“Everyone in Taiwan ought to be really proud of how quickly and how far Taiwan has come so that you are in a place where outsiders look at your elections, and no one has the slightest doubt about the will of the people being voiced. It’s a great thing.”

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which takes a tougher stance on China suffered a major electoral defeat in Saturday’s elections, winning only five of 21 cities and counties. As a result, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) resigned as DPP chairperson.

On the other hand, the main opposition Kuomintang (KMT), which is considered to be softer on China, won the elections in 13 cities and counties, including four of the six special municipalities — the capital city of Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Taichung.

Asked if the elections results would send a wrong message that could undermine the willingness of the U.S. and other democratic countries to help defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese invasion, Oudkirk said the U.S. government has worked with Taiwanese counterparts from different parties over the last several decades and will continue to do so.

She also affirmed that Washington takes its responsibility to help Taipei defend itself under the Taiwan Relations Act “very, very seriously.”

The U.S. will continue to work with elected leaders in Taiwan to craft a defense sales program that is “appropriate to the capabilities that Taiwan needs.”

“This has been something that the United States has done for decades. And that we will continue to do whatever happens in any future election. Regardless of who wins or loses,” she added.

Meanwhile, asked about U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) earlier this month and if it helped to ease the tensions between the two superpowers, Oudkirk said such in-person meetings are good for all parties involved.

“I think it is really important that the meeting happened. I hope that it did help reassure observers everywhere in the world that the United States and the People’s Republic of China have these frank, open, constructive discussions.”

Tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan were heightened after Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taipei in August, the first by a sitting U.S. House Speaker in 25 years.

In the wake of Pelosi’s 19-hour trip, Beijing accused Washington of promoting Taiwan independence and hollowing out its “one-China” policy, later launching a series of large-scale military drills around the island.

U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the likely next speaker of the House following gains made by the Republican Party in recent midterm elections, previously pledged to visit Taiwan if he gained office.

Asked if the AIT has heard anything about a possible trip, Oudkirk said she has no news on the new speaker’s travel plans.

Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Nov. 21 also said no official contact had yet been made with McCarthy’s camp regarding a trip to Taiwan.

The Tuesday’s press event was Oudkirk’s second since she assumed office in July 2021. AIT represents U.S. interests in Taiwan in the absence of official diplomatic ties.

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

A delegation led by United Kingdom MP Alicia Kearns arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day visit that will include meetings with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other top government officials, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

The bipartisan House of Commons delegation also includes Conservative MP Royston Smith, Liam Byrne of the Labour Party, Stewart Malcolm McDonald from the Scottish National Party, and independent MP Neil Coyle, as well as two aides, MOFA said in a press statement on Tuesday.

The visit by the British parliamentarians comes at a time when U.K. relations with China are strained.

In his first foreign policy speech in London on Monday, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the so-called “golden era” of U.K.-China relations was “over,” adding that Beijing’s “systemic challenge to our values and interests” is growing “more acute.”

Sunak, nevertheless, noted that the U.K. could not ignore China’s significance in the global economy and climate change, while suggesting that his administration would “evolve” its approach to Beijing.

The U.K. delegation is scheduled to meet with Tsai, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Secretary-General of the National Security Council Wellington Koo (顧立雄), Minister of Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), and Economics Minister Wang Mei-hua (王美花), among other officials during their stay, the MOFA said in its statement.

The delegation and Taiwanese officials will discuss bilateral relations between Taiwan and the U.K., the situation in the Taiwan Strait, and the challenges facing both sides, including the spread of fake news and proliferation of cyber-attacks, the statement said.

The delegation will also visit the Legislative Yuan to meet with cross-party lawmakers, such as Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) of the opposition Kuomintang and Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party, the statement said.

The visit by the British delegation, the statement said, speaks volumes about the Taiwan-U.K. relationship, adding that it is the first parliamentarian group to visit Taiwan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Taiwan and the U.K. enjoy a close and friendly relationship, the statement said, pointing out that the U.K. has supported Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations and expressed concern over tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

With the efforts of Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP and chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and other MPs, the House of Commons also passed a motion in February, urging the U.K. government to strengthen two-way trade and deepen security cooperation with Taiwan, the statement added.

The statement said Taiwan looks forward to working with the U.K. to strengthen the resilience of the democratic alliance and contribute to peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

First-time politician Mai Yamada (山田摩衣) has attracted some local media attention with her win in the New Taipei City Council election on Saturday, thanks to her Japanese name.

Born to a Taiwanese mother and Japanese father, the 32-year-old Japanese-Taiwanese stood out after becoming one of nine elected city councilors in Banqiao District in Taiwan’s local government elections on Saturday.

Although she has a Japanese name, she grew up and was educated in Taiwan, Yamada said, therefore, “Taiwan is my home.”

Before running as a candidate for a local government seat, Yamada, who speaks fluent Japanese and English, was Legislative Speaker You Si-kun’s (游錫堃) secretary.

She has been involved in politics since she was a senior in university and worked at the office of Kao Jyh-peng (高志鵬), a former lawmaker from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). At Kao’s office, she started as an intern and left as a deputy director, according to Yamada.

During her time serving the local community, she also learned how to speak Hokkien. She then continued her political work by serving as a campaign assistant for Legislator Yu Tian (余天) when he ran in a legislative by-election in 2019 under the DPP’s banner.

Having worked in politics for a decade, Yamada decided to run for herself in New Taipei’s Banqiao this year.

“Being a rookie is tough,” Yamada said, because first-time candidates are little known to the public and they have few campaign resources.

To canvass for votes, she visited people engaging in early morning exercise at parks and stood near mass rapid transit station exits to talk to commuters and ask for their support.

During her campaign, many local residents cheered her on, she said, describing the support as a proof of Taiwan-Japan friendship.

Asked about how she perceived being a Taiwanese-Japanese candidate and if Taiwan society accepted her, Yamada said that when she started her campaign, she found most people were curious about and amazed at her name, rather than resentful.

She attributed such reactions as that of a society where people uphold democracy and are keen to make friends in the international community.

“This shows that in a democratic country, there’s great inclusion of different ethnic groups,” she said.

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉), the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) nominee in the Pingtung County magistrate election, said Sunday he will seek a vote recount, criticizing the vote counting process as full of flaws.

Su, who lost to Chou Chun-mi (周春米) of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said he will file a petition with the court on Monday after holding discussions with his lawyer.

In Saturday’s election, Su finished with 206,460 votes, or 46.59 percent of the total, with Chou receiving 217,537 votes, or 49.09 percent, according data from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Chan Chih-chun (詹智鈞) of the New Power Party (NPP), was a distant third with 19,156 votes, or 4.32 percent, the data shows.

Su criticized the vote counting process — which took nearly five hours — as unreasonably long, and that there were reportedly several occasions when votes for him and Chou were mistakenly swapped.

In addition, he also questioned how it was possible after the CEC allegedly announced the number of valid ballots cast as 380,000, that the final vote count was around 443,000.

Su questioned the fairness of the election, saying he is currently collecting evidence of possible vote counting problems.

The KMT said in a press statement that it supports Su’s petition, stressing that a recount is necessary particularly as the margin of victory was only 2.5 percentage points.

The KMT also urged the CEC to seal the ballot boxes and voter rosters and carry out a recount.

However, Article 69 of the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act clearly stipulates that recounts can only take place if the difference is 0.3 percent of votes cast or less.

In response, Pingtung Country Election Commission said the vote counting process was in line with standard operation procedures, but added it would respect the court’s decision and conduct a recount if ordered to do so.

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Incumbent Changhua Magistrate Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) of the Kuomintang (KMT) declared victory in her reelection bid Saturday against her main challenger Huang Shiou-fang (黃秀芳) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Wang declared victory at around 7:35 p.m., but the vote count was still ongoing.

Wang finished with 368,161 votes, or 56.78 percent of the total, with Huang receiving 271,822 votes, or 41.92 percent, according to figures from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

The win for the 54-year-old Wang, a former legislator, means she has yet to lose an election since entering politics as a Changhua county councilor in 1994.

Born to a family that was heavily involved in local politics, Wang, was the only KMT legislator elected in Changhua in 2016 and two years later beat then DPP County magistrate Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) to take the top job.

Six months into her term as Changhua County magistrate, Wang decided not to host the 2020 edition of the annual Taiwan Lantern Festival, citing the county’s poor finances.

Braving strong criticism, Wang also excluded wealthy individuals from Double Ninth cash gifts, insisting that “money must be spent in the right place.”

Wang’s campaign stressed that under her leadership the county government has reduced its debts by NT$4.2 billion (US$135 million).

Although Changhua is the only county-level administrative area with a population in excess of 1 million, at around 1.289 million, the county has been dogged by a serious exodus of people and the problem of aborted tenders for major public construction works.

When grilled over these two key issues, Wang often asks: “What has Huang done for the county as a legislator elected to represent Changhua?”

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Kuomintang (KMT) won a resounding victory in the Taipei mayoral election Saturday, based on initial vote counts, which showed him leading Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and independent candidate Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊).

Chiang, a 43-year-old ex-legislator and the purported great-grandson of late president of Republic of China (Taiwan) Chiang Kai-shek (蔣中正), called his win at 8:00 p.m.

“We have done it together – this victory belongs to every citizen of Taipei. It is a win for light over darkness, for good over evil,” Chiang said in his victory speech.

Chiang expressed gratitude to Huang and Chen, saying that the advice and suggestions provided throughout the campaign by his two “admirable opponents” had taught him a great deal.

He vowed to keep a campaign promise to recruit talented individuals to his government regardless of their political affiliations to continue and increase Taipei’s international profile.

While the vote count was still ongoing, the initial results showed Chiang with a comfortable lead in the city’s record-breaking field of 12 candidates.

Chiang finished with 575,590 votes, or 42.29 percent of the total, according to the Central Election Commission(CEC).

Health Minister Chen, who became a household name as the public face of the DPP administration’s COVID-19 response, was in second place, with 434,558 votes, or 31.93 percent, according to the CEC.

In his concession speech, Chen thanked his backers for their support over the past months while apologizing to them and pledging to take full responsibility for the loss.

“Now the people of Taipei have chosen another candidate, I would like to ask all of you to join me in extending sincere congratulates and best wishes to Chiang,” Chen said.

Chen said he had phoned Chiang to congratulate him and expressed hope that the capital could go from strength to strength under the new mayor’s leadership.

Huang, who had been serving as deputy Taipei mayor for the past three years, had the third-highest number of votes, with 342,141 votes, or 25.14 percent, the CEC data showed.

In her concession speech, Huang called on Chiang to keep his promise to reform the city in the years ahead.

She also thanked her backers for their support in a hard-fought campaign over the past three months.

While Chiang’s win will be seen as a boon for the KMT’s ambitions to take back the presidency in 2024, the victory was not a complete surprise, given the DPP’s struggles in Taipei over the years.

The ruling party’s sole win in the capital’s mayoral election was in 1994, when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), then a 44-year-old legislator, clinched 44 percent of the vote in a tightly fought three-way race, six years before he went on to win the presidency.

In an effort to prevent a similar split of the pan-blue vote this year, Chiang and the KMT framed the election as a binary choice by focusing almost entirely on attacking Chen Shih-chung over his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic as head of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC).

According to a source within Chiang’s campaign team, this strategy effectively sidelined Huang in the minds of the electorate and encouraged tactical voting.

Elected to the Legislature in 2016, Chiang was one of only seven KMT lawmakers to vote in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in Taiwan in 2019.

He has displayed a progressive bent on a number of other issues, advocating for the renaming and rededication of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and providing restitution to the victims of political persecution under Taiwan’s former authoritarian government, among other proposals.

Chiang put policy rather than name recognition at the center of his campaign, with proposals such as providing financial support to new parents and expanding access to social housing to reverse Taipei’s population decline, which proved popular among undecided voters.

On Nov. 10, Chiang announced that he was resigning from the Legislature to show his determination to win the election, a move analysts said had fired up voters to cast their ballots in his favor.

Chiang earned a J.D. degree — a professional law degree and an academic credential — at State University of Pennsylvania in 2006, and he worked as a lawyer for startups in Silicon Valley before returning to Taiwan in 2013.

He campaigned on a promise to bring innovation to Taipei and transform it into a global, livable, technological, and inventive city where people can pursue the Taipei dream, similar to Silicon Valley.

The DPP’s Chen Shih-chung, a relatively unknown figure prior to fronting the government’s pandemic response, left his role as health minister in July to make his first-ever bid for public office via the ballot box.

His decision to resign, however, was quickly and relentlessly attacked by Chiang, who accused Chen Shih-chung of abandoning his responsibilities while the pandemic was raging.

DPP heavyweights touted Chen Shih-chung as the best CECC chief, saying that his administrative ability, international vision, and a sense of mission to safeguard democracy made him the most qualified Taipei mayoral candidate.

Chen Shih-chung campaigned on 212 policy platforms in 19 categories, ranging from urban regeneration, transportation, social welfare, and social housing, to green energy projects.

He contended that the KMT, as well as the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) that was established by incumbent Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) in 2019, had both failed during their time in office to meet the expectations of the city’s residents.

During his campaign, the 69-year-old Chen Shih-chung, who rarely smiles, tried to tap into youth culture to draw young voters, but a series of blunders backfired on his campaign.

Despite a laborious tour of Taipei’s 12 districts to meet with voters face-to-face, Chen Shih-chung consistently polled behind Chiang, often by a sizeable margin.

Meanwhile, the 53-year-old Huang, who served as a city councilor for 21 years before her appointment as Ko’s deputy, had presented herself to voters as the only candidate with the experience to navigate municipal issues and city politics.

She opted to run as an independent, in the hope of replicating the success of Ko’s nonpartisan campaigns in 2014 and 2018, distancing herself from the two pan-blue parties in which she had previously held membership – the New Party and People’s First Party.

Huang’s campaign was closely watched, as it was seen as giving some clues to how Ko might fare if he decides to run in the 2024 presidential election.

She had criticized her two rivals over what she said was their constant sparring with each another, and she urged voters to elect her as the first female mayor of Taipei, if they had had enough of the “vile competition” between the KMT and the DPP.

However, the KMT’s line was that a vote for Huang was one for the DPP, a claim that proved effective and left the former deputy mayor in third place, amid a return of the green-blue dichotomy in the city.

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) Saturday secured a second term in office after beating his main challenger, former Kuomintang (KMT) legislator Ko Chih-en (柯志恩).

Chen, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), was the clear front runner from early on in the vote count, which began at 4 p.m. He declared victory at around 7:40 p.m. after Ko conceded defeat.

Chen finished with 766,147 votes, or 58.1 percent of the total, with Ko receiving 529,607 votes, or 40.16 percent, according to figures from the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Independent candidates Tseng Yin-li (曾尹儷) and Cheng Yu-hsiang (鄭宇翔) received 14,585 votes, or 1.11 percent, and 8,394 votes, or 0.64 percent, respectively.

Chen was cheered by supporters as he took to the stage at his campaign headquarters in Kaohsiung’s Fengshan District (鳳山) at around 7:40 p.m.

“After a fierce competition it is now time for unity,” Chen said.

Although he and Ko have their differences, they also share the same desire to bring about change in Kaohsiung, Chen said, thanking Ko for fighting a “clean” election campaign.

Chen went on to say that he would be open to considering proposals put forward by his campaign opponents in future policymaking.

The outcome was largely in line with expectations, as Chen was consistently shown to have a commanding lead in polls leading up to the election.

Chen, 57, ran on a platform that focused on creating job opportunities and boosting the municipality’s industries, including an initiative to build a “semiconductor corridor” industrial cluster and facilitate industry-academia collaboration in the semiconductor sector.

He also pledged to build a technology park for 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) innovation in Kaohsiung’s central business district, the Asia New Bay Area, to attract more technology companies to establish headquarters there.

Chen suffered a bruising defeat in the 2018 Kaohsiung mayoral race at the hands of the KMT’s Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who managed a surprise victory in the traditional DPP stronghold.

However, Han’s mayoralty was short-lived, when he was ousted in June 2020 following an unprecedented impeachment vote just under 18 months into his mayoralty after his decision to represent the KMT in the 2020 presidential election was widely criticized.

Han’s impeachment offered Chen a chance for a comeback in a by-election held in August the same year, after the DPP re-nominated Chen to run for the office.

Chen won the by-election with 671,804 votes, defeating KMT Kaohsiung City Councilor Lee Mei-jhen (李眉蓁), who received 248,478 votes, and Kaohsiung City Councilor Wu Yi-jheng, representing the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who received 38,960 votes.

Since his inauguration in August 2020, Chen has built several social housing complexes and sports centers in the municipality and paved the way for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) to build a wafer foundry in Kaohsiung Nanzih Technology Industrial Park.

He also took sweeping steps to expand the MRT network in the municipality, starting work on the Kaohsiung MRT Yellow Line and resuming phase two construction of the Kaohsiung Light Rail after rerouting the line, which had been suspended by Han over environmental concerns.

Compared to some magistrate and mayoral candidates who faced allegations of graft and academic plagiarism, Chen ran a relatively non-contentious campaign.

Chen’s political career took off when he was elected a lawmaker for Kaohsiung City in 1995, the first time he ran for the position. During his second legislative term, he was appointed minister without portfolio and Cabinet spokesman by then-Premier You Si-kun (游錫堃).

He was appointed acting mayor of Kaohsiung in 2005 by then-mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), when Hsieh was made premier by then-President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁).

Chen Chi-mai resigned as acting Kaohsiung mayor in August 2005 after Thai migrant workers hired by Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp. held mass protests over poor management of the workers, who reportedly lived in appalling conditions and were financially exploited.

He later served briefly as Presidential Office deputy secretary-general before becoming a DPP lawmaker again in 2012, remaining in that post until Nov. 2018 when he stepped down to focus on the mayoral campaign in Kaohsiung.

After his election defeat, Chen was appointed vice premier by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Jan. 2019 after former premier Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) Cabinet resigned en mass to shoulder responsibility for the DPP’s rout in the 2018 local elections.

Following Han’s impeachment in June, 2020, Chen Chi-mai resigned as vice premier and threw his hat in the Kaohsiung mayoral by-election ring, with his nomination backed by the DPP Central Standing Committee. He won the by-election in August that year.

KMT’s Ko Chih-en, 60, was unable to dent Chen Chi-mai’s popularity even though she stumped across the municipality and put up a strong showing during a televised platform presentation on Nov. 12.

A professor of psychology at Tamkang University and former TV show host, Ko, who served as a KMT lawmaker from 2016 to 2020, had vowed to listen carefully to the needs of the city’s 2.72 million residents and work determinedly toward Kaohsiung’s “change, rebirth, and prosperity.”

Chen Chi-mai’s emphatic victory on Saturday is widely expected to cement his status as a rising political star in the DPP and is sure to spark keen interest as to his next career move.

 

 

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel