Former premier William Lai (賴清德) on Tuesday visited San Francisco — his first stop in the US as part of campaign efforts for President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) re-election bid.
Speaking at a news conference in San Francisco, Lai said that Tsai would do a much better job than Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, “leading Taiwan and strengthening Taiwan.”
Lai called on Taiwanese in the US to vote for the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the Jan. 11 elections, to support Tsai and to help the party gain a legislative majority “for the strengthening of Taiwan, the unity of Taiwanese and the globalization of Taiwan.”
Photo: CNA
The former premier was warmly received by supporters, many of whom chanted slogans.
Lai played a video recorded by Tsai, before thanking DPP supporters and discussing his US travel plans.
His visit is in support of democracy and should not be taken to indicate that he plans to act as Tsai’s running mate, Lai told the audience.
Taiwanese must band together and resist the Chinese Communist Party to protect the nation’s sovereignty and safeguard its democracy, while maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
“Taiwan is a young democracy and a brave democracy. The international community strongly praises Taiwan for the story of its successful democratization,” he said.
As someone who abandoned a career in medicine to enter politics, he understands the contributions and sacrifices many people have made for Taiwan’s democracy, and because it was fought so hard for it must be cherished, he said.
In the past, diverging perspectives on national identity made it impossible for Taiwanese to band together, but now that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has grown so vocal in his threats toward the nation, Taiwanese must overcome their differences to prevent their nation being absorbed by China, he said.
Through the democratic process he hopes that Taiwanese band together and eliminate the “distracting thought of ‘one China,’” Lai said.
Taiwan is important strategically, and the world is waiting to see if the nation’s next leader can protect its sovereignty and independence, he said.
Tsai is assuming a “heavy burden” for the nation, Lai said, adding that he hopes everyone can come together to support Tsai and the DPP’s legislator and legislator-at-large candidates.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work