Taipei’s new Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday on his first day in office at Taipei City Hall encouraged his staff to “just go ahead and do it” as long as their actions are beneficial.
Chiang, who was sworn in on Sunday and turned 44 yesterday, was speaking after a morning meeting with the city government’s top officials.
He said he would through this week continue the 7:30am daily meetings established by former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲).
Photo: Tien Su-hua, Taipei Times
After the meeting, Chiang encouraged Taipei City Hall staff to work together, consider the feelings of city residents when implementing policies, and build a warm and service-oriented government.
“As long as the government stands with the people, the people will stand with the government,” he said. “My expectation for you all is this: Just go ahead and do it, as long as it is beneficial for the city residents. Just do it. I will be your strong supporter.”
During the morning meeting, the staff exchanged ideas on several issues mentioned in his election campaign, including the Taipei Dome project and improving traffic issues in Neihu District (內湖), as well as plans for the city’s New Year’s Eve event and the Taipei Lantern Festival in February, Chiang said.
He said that after cross-departmental coordination is established, the meetings might be changed to meet particular policy objectives or to operate more effectively.
Chiang’s decision to wait until February for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) to take office as deputy mayor apparently to avoid a by-election for her legislative seat, sparked a mixed response.
Some said he was “starting a race with only one shoe on,” and others said he was taking away the legislative seat from the district, while KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) defended it as not wasting government funding on a by-election.
Regarding the delay, he said that Chu has expressed his stance, and he respects the party’s position.
Asked why he did not keep his campaign promise to ensure that one-third of his top officials and department heads would be women, Chiang said he recruited his team based on their specialties and qualifications.
Although gender is an important factor, other aspects had to be considered, Chiang said.
The goal would be reached gradually in time, he added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS