President William Lai (賴清德) is to embark on a nationwide tour, delivering 10 public speeches to urge national solidarity and a joint stand against external threats, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅惠) said yesterday.
Each of the 10 talks would address matters of national interest, including national identity, solidarity, the constitutional system, defense, foreign affairs, cross-strait affairs, democracy, peace, prosperity and a balanced Taiwan, Kuo said.
Lai intends to discuss government responses to the shifting geopolitical landscape and the threats posed by authoritarian regimes, Kuo added.
Photo: CNA
Lai’s goal is to engage with the public, and explain the government’s policies to encourage national unity in the face of rapid international geopolitical changes and rising threats from authoritarian powers, she said.
The first talk, focusing on the theme of “nation,” is to take place tonight in New Taipei City, at the invitation of Rotary International’s District 3490, which includes 16 chapters across New Taipei City and Keelung, as well as Yilan and Hualien counties.
Asked whether the timing of the speeches was to coincide with the ongoing recall campaigns against opposition lawmakers, Kuo said that civic groups independently initiated the recalls, viewing them as an exercise of their rights to launch initiatives and referendums, adding that no one can lead or halt such acts.
Lai respects the groups, and any attempt to label or accuse political parties of orchestrating the recalls shows a blatant disrespect of the Constitution and the public’s rights, she added.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) yesterday said that if the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government genuinely aimed to protect Taiwan’s democracy, it would stop the continuous recall events and not act in an authoritarian manner.
Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said the topics of Lai’s speeches overlap, adding that the public expects the president to set aside personal interests and the interests of the DPP to address issues that matter to the public, such as energy policy, housing justice, the judiciary and social safety.
The public is aware of the president’s true intent in announcing the speaking tour at this time, without engaging in sincere discussions with the opposition to create policies beneficial to the public, he said.
Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善) of the KMT said she was sad to hear that the president is deepening internal divisions and politicking under the guise of urging national solidarity, adding that such actions are not conducive to Taiwan’s overall development.
Additional reporting by CNA
PROVOCATIVE: Chinese Deputy Ambassador to the UN Sun Lei accused Japan of sending military vessels to deliberately provoke tensions in the Taiwan Strait China denounced remarks by Japan and the EU about the South China Sea at a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, and accused Tokyo of provocative behavior in the Taiwan Strait and planning military expansion. Ayano Kunimitsu, a Japanese vice foreign minister, told the Council meeting on maritime security that Tokyo was seriously concerned about the situation in the East China and South China seas, and reiterated Japan’s opposition to any attempt to change the “status quo” by force, and obstruction of freedom of navigation and overflight. Stavros Lambrinidis, head of the EU delegation to the UN, also highlighted South China Sea
The final batch of 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks purchased from the US arrived at Taipei Port last night and were transported to the Armor Training Command in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口), completing the military’s multi-year procurement of 108 of the tanks. Starting at 12:10am today, reporters observed more than a dozen civilian flatbed trailers departing from Taipei Port, each carrying an M1A2T tank covered with black waterproof tarps. Escorted by military vehicles, the convoy traveled via the West Coast Expressway to the Armor Training Command, with police implementing traffic control. The army operates about 1,000 tanks, including CM-11 Brave Tiger
China on Wednesday teased in a video an aircraft carrier that could be its fourth, and the first using nuclear power, while making an allusion to Taiwan and vowing to further build up its islands, as it looks to boost maritime power, secure resources and bolster territorial claims. The video, issued on the eve of the 77th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, featured fictional officers with names that are homophones of three commissioned aircraft carriers, the Liaoning (遼寧), Shandong (山東) and Fujian (福建). Titled Into the Deep, it showed a 19-year-old named “Hejian” (何劍) joining the group, sparking
BIG YEAR: The company said it would also release its A12 chip the same year to keep a ‘reliable stream of new silicon technologies’ flowing to its customers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said its newest A13 chip is to enter volume production in 2029 as the chipmaker seeks to hold onto its tech leadership and demand for next-generation chips used in artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance-computing (HPC) and mobile applications. TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, also unveiled its A12 chip at its annual technology symposium in Santa Clara, California. The A12 chip, which features TSMC’s super-power-rail technology to provide backside power delivery for AI and HPC applications, is also to enter volume production in 2029, a year after the scheduled release of the A14 chip. The technology moves
RSS