An alliance of university students last night gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei to express their support for President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) as she seeks the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) nomination for next year’s presidential election.
The group was comprised of students from National Taiwan University, National Chengchi University, National Tsing Hua University, Tung Hai University and Soochow University.
Judging by Tsai’s performance since 2016, the need for reform and the diplomatic plight facing the nation, she remains the best candidate for president, the students said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
Tsai’s administration pushed for pension reform, marriage equality and transitional justice, and set judicial reform in motion, they said.
Faced with mounting pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, Tsai has conveyed the “Taiwanese consensus” resisting a Taiwanese version of the “one country, two systems” framework proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), while substantially bolstering the nation’s defense capabilities and strengthening its democracy, they said.
She has defended the nation’s sovereignty by rebuilding rapport with Japan, maintaining good ties with the US and winning the trust of several nations in the Asia-Pacific region, the students said.
Tsai also implemented tax reform, which reduced taxes for many families, raised the minimum wage, offered incentives for foreign investment and created job opportunities by localizing industry chains, they said.
Overall, Tsai is leading the nation on a progressive path and has given people hope for a better future, they said, adding that they do not want to see reforms stall or suffer setbacks as a result of the election.
A spokeswoman for the group said they had printed 2,000 placards that read: “I am young, I support Ing” (我年輕，我挺英), to distribute to people attending the Presidential Office Concert last night on the boulevard, adding that the placards were snatched up in 15 minutes.
Earlier in the day, members of a pro-unification group rallied outside Taipei’s Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, accusing the DPP of pandering to Japan and selling out the nation.
Tsai on Thursday said she would defend every inch of Taiwanese territory, but has been soft in upholding the nation’s claim over several islands in the South China Sea, the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台) and the Okinotori Atoll when faced with pressure from Japan, they said.
The group also acted out a skit in which they flattened a model Presidential Office Building made of cardboard with a model nuclear warhead and missile made of cardboard and polystyrene foam.
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