The three vice presidential candidates last night took part in a televised presentation of their campaign platforms and vision, at an event organized by the Central Election Commission.
Each candidate was given 30 minutes to present their statements, going in order according to a pre-show draw.
Former Academia Sinica vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), running mate of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), was the first to speak.
Photo: CNA
He talked about food safety and accused the government of being incompetent in managing crises.
If Tsai wins the election, her administration would work to restore Taiwan’s reputation as a food paradise, he said.
He also pledged that the DPP would assist the biomedical industry through policies and law revisions.
Republican Party Chairperson Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), the running mate of People First Party (PFP) presidential candidate James Soong (宋楚瑜), started off her presentation by stressing that she was the youngest of the three candidates and therefore comes with “less baggage.”
She said it was time the pan-blue and the pan-green camps stopped their political feuding.
“Stop wrangling, stop wrangling, stop wrangling,” she said. “It is important so I have to repeat it three times.”
She pledged that if she and Soong were elected, she would promote public participation in the judicial process and abolish the Special Investigation Division of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office. She also proposed upgrading the National Police Agency to ministry level to enhance its ability to crack down on drugs and uphold public security.
Jennifer Wang (王如玄), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu’s (朱立倫) running mate, discussed Chu’s proposal to boost the economy by raising the national minimum wage from NT$20,008 to NT$22,200 in his first year in office and to NT$30,000 in four years’ time.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft