Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) determined attitude was well demonstrated during the Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development held late last month.
Tsai, though well-known as head of the panel that developed former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) "special state-to-state" theory (兩國論) in 1999, was locked in a heated debate at the conference with members of the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union over the easing of the 40 percent cap on investment in China.
She was spotted during the conference breaks negotiating with other participants over plans to ease the investment ceiling, which was eventually listed with the "other opinions" -- those intended to serve as advice for the government, but which would have no binding effect on the Cabinet.
Known for her articulate and precise expression in English, Tsai played the role of conciliator in 2002 during her term as chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), flying to Washington to explain President Chen Shui-bian's (
She convinced players in Washington that Taiwan had not changed its stance on cross-strait relations.
Tsai first took on the leadership of the MAC in 2000. Although she was not then a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member, she was well-trusted by the DPP government as well as President Chen Shui-bian (
"During her first year as chairwoman of the MAC, she simply would not talk to the press," said a senior cross-strait affairs journalist who wished to remain anonymous. "Now, she does, but what she tells you are only those things that she wants you to know."
While Tsai had once explained to reporters that her cautiousness is driven by a desire to avoid misunderstanding, some reporters complain that Tsai's remarks usually contain nothing but political language and rhetoric.
Tsai's professional attitude has garnered approval from both the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
"She does not bluff about something that will never happen or try to avoid difficult questions posed by lawmakers. That is really something," said former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖).
Former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) said Tsai's performance as head of a government agency should be a role model for her fellow government leaders.
"Her statements or answers to the legislature are always logical and clear," Shen said. "Sometimes I really felt that listening to her in the legislature was a joy."
Former KMT legislator Liao Feng-te (廖風德) said Tsai's perseverance and firm attitude impressed him the most, although he would not really appreciate it all the time.
"I questioned her on the MAC's policies many times and there were several quarrels between us on the legislative floor. However, she would insist on the rightness of her positions and explain them to me patiently -- even though I still believed that there were flaws in them. That was quite different from other government officials," Liao said.
The vice premier is also known for her tendency to retain a low-profile, which is typical of both her work and private life.
For instance, she was entitled to a driver when she was the MAC chairwoman and still has the right to this service as vice premier. But, she prefers to drive by herself. In addition, she has refused the service of bodyguards.
Despite the fact that her father passed away in the lead-up to the economic conference, she only asked to take a week off after the conference concluded.
EXPANSIONIST: China deploys an average of 40 to 50 warships and coast guard vessels daily in the South China Sea, despite pledges not to militarize the region, an official said China is attempting to expand its influence across the First Island Chain and increase pressure on Japan by sending coast guard vessels into waters off of Taiwan under the pretext of maritime negotiations with Japan and the Philippines, a national security official said yesterday. China’s recent actions in the waters east of Taiwan and Japan and the Philippines’ exclusive economic zones (EEZ) are attempts to establish dominance in First Island Chain waters, said the official who declined to be named, adding that this is “expansion disguised as law enforcement.” Framing China’s actions solely as a cross-strait issue is a serious misjudgment that
Through analyzing fossil evidence, a research team at National Taiwan University (NTU) discovered the largest endemic bird to have lived in Taiwan, naming it Pavo miejue, or extinct peafowl (滅絕孔雀). The Mikado pheasant, which is printed on the back of the NT$1,000 bank note, was previously believed to be the biggest endemic bird to Taiwan. The research team’s findings suggest that Pavo miejue lived during the Pleistocene epoch tens of thousands of years ago. It is the first endemic extinct bird species discovered and formally named in Taiwan. The study was coauthored by NTU Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology professor Tsai Cheng-hsiu (蔡政修),
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to suspend its automated Skytrain service connecting Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 starting on July 1 to facilitate connection works for the upcoming Terminal 3, the airport operator said today. Passengers and staff who need to travel between the two terminals after the suspension can instead use the Taoyuan MRT or the airport's 24-hour shuttle bus service, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The Taoyuan MRT Airport Line directly links the two terminals, while the shuttle buses are to operate around the clock, the company added. The Skytrain provides free transportation between the airport’s two terminals for travelers and
Taiwan ranked 42nd in terms of peacefulness among 163 countries, down five places from last year, according to this year’s Global Peace Index. With an overall score of 1.751, Taiwan dropped from 37th last year, the report published by the global Institute for Economics and Peace showed. The overall score measures a country’s level of peacefulness using 23 quantitative and qualitative indicators across three domains — ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security, and militarization. While Taiwan ranked 42nd worldwide, it was listed in ninth place among the 19 Asian-Pacific countries in the report, after New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Malaysia,
RSS