Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday inaugurated her presidential campaign office, while calling on the public to support her as she faces a better financed and more well-connected opponent.
Surrounded by friends and supporters, Tsai served sweet rice ball soup — a traditional dessert served at house-warming parties — to celebrate the launch of her campaign office and donation Web site.
The entrance to the office is marked by a big circular logo, which Tsai said represents fullness and diversity.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The office design is simple, with bare walls and most of the furniture inherited from the office of the Ministry of Culture, which previously occupied the building.
MOUNTAIN OF GOLD
“Many people say that the KMT has deeper pockets, but we are not afraid because while the KMT is backed by its mountain of gold and silver, we are backed by the people,” Tsai said.
During her 2012 campaign for the presidency, 80 percent of the funding came from small public donations, “for which we handed out 180,000 receipts, which stood 18m tall when they were stacked up,” she said.
Tsai also announced that DPP Campaign Strategy Committee convener Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) would serve as her chief campaign director, while Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀), a long-time assistant and political associate of former DPP chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) — often considered a political rival of Tsai — would serve as the chief executive of her campaign.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
Taipei resident Mu Chu-hua caught some glimpses of China’s mighty military parade on YouTube on Wednesday. As she watched hypersonic missiles roll down Beijing’s Changan Avenue and troops march in lockstep, she did not feel like they posed a threat to Taiwan. Mu, a 69-year-old retiree, said she saw the parade as simply a way for Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to “say thank you to the troops.” “I thought it was quite normal,” she said. “It was very cool.” China’s military parade commemorating the end of World War II was being watched internationally for insights into Beijing’s military advances and its show
RSS