The new Cabinet led by premier-designate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) should set up a special taskforce to work on linking Taiwan to the world to prevent Taiwan from being marginalized in the era of globalization, Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday.
"Taiwan should not position itself as part of China. It's part of the world. So I hope to see Su's team concentrate its efforts on securing Taiwan's survival in the era of globalization," Lu told reporters outside CTiTV's studio.
Lu spoke to reporters after being interviewed by talk-show host Sisy Chen (陳文茜).
During the interview Chen questioned the lack of international experience in Su's team and Lu said the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) long-term promotion of Taiwanese consciousness had led to a lack of effective strategies to deal with the global China fever.
Lu said Taiwan has to keep its own identity and not deliberately fight China at a time when the Chinese market is attracting more countries.
However, Taiwan has reached a critical point where it has to find a way out wisely and the new Cabinet has no time to waste, Lu said.
"To reduce our risks, I've brought up new economic strategies to shift certain of Taiwan's firms investing in China diplomatic allies in Central America," Lu said.
"However, I'm not sure if any of the new Cabinet members have ever thought about where to position Taiwan on the globalization spectrum."
Chen insisted that most of Su's appointees lack international experience, except National Science Council chief Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁), who is a health expert and a fellow of the Academia Sinica, and Vice premier-designate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), a former chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council.
She said that Taiwan's slow growth worried many local and foreign investors, who have wondered why countries such as Singapore and South Korea have performed better.
Lu said that economic concerns of foreign investors in Taiwan and Taiwanese businesspeople have ignored China's persistent animosity toward Taiwan.
Lu said new Cabinet might not end policies that welcome Chinese tourists or that allow certain kinds of non-sensitive cross-strait exchange activities. She said the government would have no choice but to strictly implement policies on intelligence-gathering, smuggling and prostitution involving Chinese.
"Don't forget -- Taiwan is the only country facing China's military threats," Lu said.
When asked about former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung's (
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or