The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Electoral Strategy Committee yesterday recommended that the party recruit Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) to run for Taipei mayor and former minister of transportation and communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) to run for New Taipei City mayor in the local elections in November.
The DPP’s Central Executive Committee is expected to convene a meeting on Wednesday to approve both nominees, who are to campaign together at the party’s national congress on Sunday, sources said.
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), who doubles as the DPP’s chairperson, yesterday said that she looked forward to seeing Chen and Lin fighting together to win the elections “with the goal of creating better cities and a better metropolitan area.”
Photo: Taipei Times
She said that Chen, who heads the Central Epidemic Command Center, has been leading medical personnel and disease prevention teams to overcome continuous challenges related to COVID-19 in the 903 days since the center was launched.
Being professional and communicative, he is capable of formulating and implementing policies, Tsai said, adding that the country’s capital needs his leadership to “show Taiwan’s power of kindness to the world through the future Taipei.”
Tsai said she and all the members of the strategy committee approve of Lin’s ability to lead the most populous city in Taiwan.
To lead New Taipei City requires a greater vision and determination, as the city is critical to the future development of Taiwan, “so Lin is the DPP’s strongest and most suitable candidate,” she said.
Chen yesterday issued a statement to thank Tsai and the committee for their trust, adding that he would do his best to take on the mission the party has given him.
Chen said Taipei is his home and he has deep feelings toward the city, as he “was born and raised here and lives here.”
He asked everyone to join him in the fight for Taipei’s future to “lead Taipei forward” and “make Taiwan and Taipei better.”
Lin yesterday thanked Tsai and DPP members for their support.
As a former minister and a former Taichung mayor, he said he would draw on his experience to govern the vast area with its huge population to “crank up the developing engine of northern Taiwan,” enabling New Taipei City to bring prosperity and growth to the region.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
UNPRECEDENTED: In addition to the approved recall motions, cases such as Ma Wen-chun’s in Nantou are still under review, while others lack enough signatures The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced yesterday that a recall vote would take place on July 26, after it approved the first batch of recall motions targeting 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao (高虹安). Taiwan is in the midst of an unprecedented wave of mass recall campaigns, following a civil society push that echoed a call made by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) in January to initiate signature drives aimed at unseating KMT legislators. Under the Civil Servants Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法), Taiwanese can initiate a recall of district-elected lawmakers by collecting