Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (
Upholding the DPP administration's proposed construction projects in the city, Chang urged all supporters to vote for the party's slated candidates so that the party could resist the opposition-controlled legislature's boycott of budget review.
Kaohsiung City Mayor Frank Hsieh (
The ruling DPP yesterday also found common ground with supporters in southern Taiwan to unequivocally lambaste China's rudeness at APEC.
"[Chinese officials] were so arbitrary that they didn't even care about you," Chang told party supporters.
Chang was referring to the cross-strait stand-off during an APEC meeting on Thursday, where Taiwan's minister of economic affairs, Lin Hsin-yi (林信義), was ruthlessly muted from raising questions by Chinese Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan (唐家璇) at a news conference.
Chang praised the president for his persistent olive branch extended to China, which he said has never responded with any goodwill in return.
The party's fourth campaign rally yesterday was packed with tens of thousands of President Chen Shui-bian's (
Addressing the crowd, Chen expressed his disappointment and dissatisfaction with China's attitudes toward Taiwan's attendance at APEC.
"The government's final decision to be absent [from attending the leaders summit] was made on the basis of national dignity. Do you all agree with me?" Chen said, asking supporters who agree with him to raise their hands. Almost all hands went up, waiving back at Chen and echoing his statements.
"How could we say nothing about their [foreign minister's] contempt and rude attitude?" he continued. "It's A-bian, not Jiang Zemin (
Chen added that attending the international forum's meetings was any member's right and obligation and China had done everything it could to push Taiwan aside, treating Taiwan as a local government like its own Hong Kong territory with disrespect. He also blamed China for deliberately ignoring his sincere proposal to attend the meeting in person and for failing to send his appointed envoy Li Yuan-zu (
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