President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday urged voters to demonstrate to the world their resolve to keep Taiwan a nation that values equality and justice.
In her speech at a National Christian Prayer Society event in Taichung, Tsai, who is seeking re-election as the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) candidate, said she could feel that Christian sisters and brothers have a strong passion for the nation, as well as their insistence on equality and justice.
Taiwan has earned respect in the international community for standing tall in the face of China’s verbal and military threats, and in turn has become stronger, she said.
Photo: CNA
She vowed to make the nation more secure, introduce more economic policies on the back of a rebounding economy and provide more comprehensive social welfare.
Following the event, Tsai traveled to Kaohsiung, where former premier William Lai (賴清德), Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Presidential Office Secretary-General Chen Chu (陳菊) joined her to inaugurate her campaign headquarters in the city.
She urged people to defend Taiwan by supporting the DPP to win back Kaohsiung in January’s elections.
Photo: CNA
Separately, a DPP source said that Tsai is to announce Lai as her running mate today at a ceremony to open her national campaign headquarters in Taipei.
Earlier in the day, at the launch of DPP Legislator Wu Chi-ming’s (吳琪銘) campaign office in New Taipei City, Tsai said that a secure society is one that is free and democratic, and one that people gravitate toward — unlike Hong Kong, whose fate is not in the hands of its people.
Taiwanese must show their resolve to safeguard democracy and freedom with their votes on Jan. 11, she said.
Elsewhere in New Taipei City, Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, and his running mate, former premier Simon Chang (張善政), attended a meet-and-greet with predominantly young people at the New Taipei Convention Center in Sindian District (新店).
One participant asked Han for his views on a survey that showed that most Taiwanese would put national interests ahead of economic benefits.
From ancient times, people prayed for their nation to have prosperity, social security and good weather, so they could live safely and have a rewarding career, Han said.
However, people cannot have a rewarding career if their safety is threatened, so his campaign slogan puts “safety for Taiwan” before “wealth for the people,” he said.
The security of the Republic of China should come first, he said.
If elected, he would shoulder the responsibility of protecting people and appoint a capable premier to enrich people, he said.
Upholding national security is not lip service, Han said, adding that he would not sacrifice economic benefit or national security for the other.
He and Chang are the pair who care most about the future of the younger generation, Han said, adding that if elected, he would formulate policies to invest in young people, for example granting them subsidies for trips abroad to broaden their worldviews.
Earlier, at an event at Juan Jing Vocational High School in New Taipei City, Han praised its e-sports program.
As Taiwanese teenagers are smart and creative, the government should pay more attention to the rising e-sports industry so that the nation can one day supplant South Korea as No. 1 in the world in terms of e-sports and development of the gaming industry, he said.
Additional reporting by Chiu Shu-yu and CNA
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