Visions regarding the nation’s future and how to sustain economic growth were key issues at the three candidates’ final presidential platform presentations in Taipei yesterday.
The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential candidate, Vice President William Lai (賴清德), said that Taiwan has success in exporting high-tech products throughout the world.
Under the DPP, Taiwan has made friends with many countries, while safeguarding its democracy, freedom and national sovereignty, he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
“My policy is to boost our trade with the world so that Taiwan has a strong presence in the international community,” Lai said, adding that he is the only candidate voters can trust to continue economic growth, as the other two are advocating over-reliance on China.
Lai said that the other two candidates have spoken on the importance of peace in the Taiwan Strait and interacting with China, including restarting the cross-strait services and trade agreement, but “we must not go back to the old road of depending on China for economic growth.”
“Taiwan has the confidence to do business with many countries worldwide, and share our technology and products, while also safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty,” he said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
Lai also said that Taiwan should open up its financial sector and welcome international investment to become Asia’s leading center for fintech, which includes banking services, information security and business management.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, said that he and his party are following the Constitution and taking the middle road, as he castigated the other candidates for labeling the KMT as “pro-China.”
“Our party is not pushing for unification with China. If we are elected, we will certainly uphold Taiwan’s democracy and freedom,” Hou said.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
He also said that the KMT is against Taiwanese independence, but Taiwan’s future shall be decided by its 23 million citizens.
Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said the KMT and the DPP both could cause a conflict in cross-strait relations.
Taiwan should make friends with China, Ko said, adding that summits he organized with the Shanghai government when he was Taipei mayor was proof that he is capable of building relationships with Chinese leaders to negotiate cross-strait peace.
Taiwan should follow a “pragmatic diplomacy” to maintain its allies, but it must not return to the “dollar diplomacy of past KMT and DPP governments,” he added.
He is the only clean politician among the three candidates who is not tainted by corruption and “big money politics,” Ko said.
Ko also commented on a recent case in which a ninth grader stabbed a classmate to death, saying that there needs to be a more complete social safety net to protect young people, as well as better healthcare services.
Hou expressed sympathy over the incident and decried "deteriorating" conditions in schools, saying that strong law enforcement and punishments are needed to have a deterrent effect.
"As someone who started out as a low-level police officer, the things I hate the most are drugs, gangsters and illegal firearms," Hou said, calling for the age of prosecution to be lowered from 16 to 14.
Hou also urged for more checks against carrying weapons into school, saying that Taiwan should follow other countries in allowing police and school officials to search students and their personal effects to stop drugs, weapons and other illegal items from entering campus.
However, when carrying out a search, the whole process must be filmed and the parents must be present as witnesses, he added.
All three candidates talked about Taiwan’s healthcare, agreeing to raise wages for all healthcare workers, improve their workplace conditions, shorten their working hours and ensure government support to keep the National Health Insurance from insolvency.
MISINFORMATION: The generated content tends to adopt China’s official stance, such as ‘Taiwan is currently governed by the Chinese central government,’ the NSB said Five China-developed artificial intelligence (AI) language models exhibit cybersecurity risks and content biases, an inspection conducted by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The five AI tools are: DeepSeek, Doubao (豆包), Yiyan (文心一言), Tongyi (通義千問) and Yuanbao (騰訊元寶), the bureau said, advising people to remain vigilant to protect personal data privacy and corporate business secrets. The NSB said it, in accordance with the National Intelligence Services Act (國家情報工作法), has reviewed international cybersecurity reports and intelligence, and coordinated with the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau and the National Police Agency’s Criminal Investigation Bureau to conduct an inspection of China-made AI language
BOOST IN CONFIDENCE: The sale sends a clear message of support for Taiwan and dispels rumors that US President Donald Trump ‘sold out’ the nation, an expert said The US government on Thursday announced a possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet parts, which was estimated to cost about US$330 million, in a move that an expert said “sends a clear message of support for Taiwan” amid fears that Washington might be wavering in its attitude toward Taipei. It was the first announcement of an arms sale to Taiwan since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. The proposed package includes non-standard components, spare and repair parts, consumables and accessories, as well repair and return support for the F-16, C-130 and Indigenous Defense Fighter aircraft,
CHECKING BOUNDARIES: China wants to disrupt solidarity among democracies and test their red lines, but it is instead pushing nations to become more united, an expert said The US Department of State on Friday expressed deep concern over a Chinese public security agency’s investigation into Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) for “secession.” “China’s actions threaten free speech and erode norms that have underpinned the cross-strait ‘status quo’ for decades,” a US Department of State spokesperson said. The Chongqing Municipal Public Security Bureau late last month listed Shen as “wanted” and launched an investigation into alleged “secession-related” criminal activities, including his founding of the Kuma Academy, a civil defense organization that prepares people for an invasion by China. The spokesperson said that the US was “deeply concerned” about the bureau investigating Shen
DISPUTE: A Chinese official prompted a formal protest from Tokyo by saying that ‘the dirty head that sticks itself out must be cut off,’ after Takaichi’s Taiwan remarks Four armed China Coast Guard vessels yesterday morning sailed through disputed waters controlled by Japan, amid a diplomatic spat following Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s comments on Taiwan. The four ships sailed around the Senkaku Islands — known as the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) to Taiwan, and which Taiwan and China also claim — on Saturday before entering Japanese waters yesterday and left, the Japan Coast Guard said. The China Coast Guard said in a statement that it carried out a “rights enforcement patrol” through the waters and that it was a lawful operation. As of the end of last month,
RSS