President Tsai-Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday confirmed that she would run for re-election next year to complete her vision for the nation.
“It’s natural that any sitting president wants to do more for the country and wants to finish things on his or her agenda,” Tsai said in an interview with CNN’s Matt Rivers aboard the presidential plane, when asked about her plans for next year’s presidential election.
Asked if that means she would seek re-election, Tsai nodded and said: “Yes, yes.”
Photo: Huang Shu-li, Taipei Times
The interview took place on Monday, the Presidential Office said.
Tsai said she was confident about her prospects, adding that it is “something I have prepared for.”
However, she is also aware of the challenges ahead.
“It’s again another challenge. Being president, you’re not short of challenges. At good times you have challenges of one sort, and in bad times you have challenges of another sort,” said Tsai, whose approval rating remains below 40 percent.
In November last year, Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) suffered heavy losses in elections for local government leaders, which many saw as a referendum on her leadership and her administration’s performance.
Tsai stepped down as party chairperson to take responsibility for the losses. Senior pro-Taiwan independence advocates have urged her not to run for re-election amid concerns that this could pave the way for the China-leaning Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to retake power.
The Presidential Office yesterday said that Tsai’s primary purpose for accepting the interview with CNN was to give Taiwan a voice through an international media outlet.
During the interview, she discussed the current international situation, spoke about why she believes Taiwan will play an increasingly crucial role in global affairs and elaborated on cross-strait relations, the office said.
Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said Tsai became an “endorser” for Taiwan during the interview, taking CNN’s correspondent to Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) area to taste traditional Taiwanese dishes, such as pork chops with rice and chicken thighs.
Through the interview, Tsai hoped to show the world the different aspects — both traditional and modern — of Taiwan, he added.
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
BULLY TACTICS: Beijing has continued its incursions into Taiwan’s airspace even as Xi Jinping talked about Taiwan being part of the Chinese family and nation China should stop its coercion of Taiwan and respect mainstream public opinion in Taiwan about sovereignty if its expression of goodwill is genuine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Ministry spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) made the comment in response to media queries about a meeting between former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) the previous day. Ma voiced support for the so-called “1992 consensus,” while Xi said that although the two sides of the Taiwan Strait have “different systems,” this does not change the fact that they are “part of the same country,” and that “external
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