On Monday, the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) vice presidential candidate, former representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), attended the televised debate with her Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) counterparts, Broadcasting Corp of China chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) and Legislator Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) respectively.
Hsiao enumerated several reforms implemented by the government and vowed to keep the progress going.
Hsiao began with the government’s economic accomplishments, saying that by distributing stimulus vouchers during the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing the budget for public infrastructure by 30 percent and enabling Taiwan to surpass South Korea in its GDP per capita, the DPP has proven itself more capable of fulfilling people’s needs than the previous KMT administration.
She voiced apprehension about the opposition parties’ plans to promote deeper trade cooperation with China, saying that it would ultimately jeopardize Taiwan’s credibility in the global market and its economic autonomy.
Hsiao approved of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) endeavor to tackle transnational challenges regarding climate crises and the dissemination of disinformation.
Since Tsai assumed office in 2016, the government has expanded the Global Cooperation Training Framework program with the US, Japan and Australia, and deepened joint cooperation with the three nations to advance cybersecurity and climate resilience, she said.
The next president and vice president need to respond prudently to the volatile global situation, she added.
During the second phase of the debate, Hsiao promised to continue providing the military with sufficient equipment, proposing to expedite the domestic manufacture of weapons, procuring more foreign equipment and modernizing training content.
The most practical way to ensure peace is to bolster our armed forces, she said, adding that long-lasting regional stability can only be preserved through enhancing deterrence along with allied nations.
In the last session, Hsiao condemned the KMT for undermining national unity and blaming the DPP for cross-strait tension, and for echoing Beijing’s rhetoric at the expense of Taiwanese. She underlined the importance of national cohesion and urged all political parties to put differences aside and stand with the government in the face of external threats to avoid a military escalation.
Hsiao encouraged people to support her and the DPP’s presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), and vowed to continue to let Taiwan shine on the world stage.
She also acknowledged that there are still issues that the DPP has not yet adequately resolved, but with the achievements of the past eight years and the exhaustive policy blueprint she and Lai have presented, she appealed to undecided voters to give the party another four years to allow it to accelerate ongoing policies.
The performance of the vice presidential candidates at the debate has received considerable public scrutiny. Although they do not present their own policy proposals and are widely deemed to be auxiliary figures to their running mates, their reputations and remarks can still significantly affect support for their ticket, so it is crucial that they maintain a positive image in the final days of campaigning.
Tshua Siu-ui is a Taiwanese student studying international relations and politics in Norwich, England.
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