California State Treasurer John Chiang (江俊輝), who recently announced he was throwing his hat in the ring for the state’s 2018 gubernatorial election, says one of his Taiwanese grandfathers inspired him to become a lawyer and enter public service.
Chiang was born in 1962 in New York, after his parents — both from Taiwan — met in the US and married.
In an interview Central News Agency, he said that when he was six or seven, he visited Taiwan to see his grandparents.
“My grandfather was an attorney and he was also in public service and he helped people in the community,” Chiang said. “I was very, very fascinated by what he was doing to help other people.”
After that trip, Chiang decided to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become an attorney, although his parents had hoped he would become a doctor.
As the oldest child in his family, Chiang felt he was obliged to protect his younger brothers and sister, he said. This sense of mission and justice was the drive for him to enter public service.
His family later moved to Chicago, where he grew up in the suburbs, where his family faced some racial discrimination, he said.
Their mail box and garage would be defaced with racist words and he sometimes had to engage in fistfights against others just to protect his siblings, he said.
These experiences showed him that “it’s very important to have all voices be part of the decision-making process that creates better communities, that creates better states, that creates a better country,” he said.
One of the good things about the US is that “you get the opportunity to change the laws to try to improve society,” said Chiang, who in 2014 was elected as California’s 33rd state treasurer after having served as state controller.
To be nominated as the Democratic Party candidate in the governor’s election, Chiang has to win the Democratic primary. Other politicians who have said they are interested in the race include former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, former Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former state controller Steve Westly.
Speaking of the characteristics of a good leader, Chiang said a good political leader should be responsible and careful, and should talk to experts in the field, as well as those impacted by a certain policy.
“So I would like to be thoughtful and also inclusive about the way I make decisions,” he said.
Chiang said he has good memories of his visit to Taiwan, such as the delicious food.
There are also a growing number of Taiwanese immigrants in California, who are “making extraordinary, profound and important contributions to California and the US,” he said.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
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
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS