Next year’s presidential election is a choice between value systems and ways of life, and the sustainability of democracy and freedom, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Saturday.
After concluding a state visit to the nation’s four Caribbean allies on Friday, Tsai made a two-night stopover in Denver, Colorado, on her way home and held an informal meeting with reporters accompanying her delegation.
Commenting on foreign media reports that next year’s presidential and legislative elections would be a battle between pro-China and pro-US camps, Tsai said she sees the elections as “a choice between value systems and ways of life.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan is a democratic society and its voters are focused on the nation’s future, especially whether its democratic way of life and freedom can be sustained, said Tsai, of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), who is running for re-election.
“We hope for peace and stability when handling cross-strait relations, we also hope that China will understand the hopes and priorities of Taiwanese that are expressed in each general election,” she added.
Asked about possible presidential challenges by the pro-independence Formosa Alliance or by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), Tsai said that she aims to forge a coalition of supporters of Taiwan and the Republic of China.
The Formosa Alliance has organized itself into a political party, but has yet to nominate a presidential candidate. Ko has said he would announce next month whether he would run for president.
Regarding a running mate, Tsai said that the political situation is still developing and the DPP would hold a discussion later.
“Our objective remains to create the best and most competitive ticket for 2020,” she added.
During her trip to the Caribbean, interacting with local people and witnessing Taiwan’s assistance to its allies, such as helping Saint Lucia eradicate a disease that damaged banana crops, moved her, Tsai said.
American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James Moriarty also attended Tsai’s meeting with the press, and she thanked the US government for helping on her Caribbean trip.
Asked if she thought Taiwan would become a bargaining chip in US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign next year or in US-China trade negotiations, Tsai said she would not comment on US domestic politics.
However, she believes Taiwan has the support of Americans and US political parties, she said.
Taiwan should have its own strategies and ideas based on its interests, and continue its cooperation and positive relations with the US, Tsai said.
Tsai on Saturday also visited the US National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.
She was welcomed by center director Everette Joseph, a group of Taiwanese scientists working at the facility and Taiwanese students in the area.
The center and Taiwanese scientists developed Formosat-7, the second satellite constellation jointly built by Taiwan and the US after Formosat-3.
She visited the Earth Observing Laboratory, one of the center’s seven laboratories, where she was given a tour of research aircraft.
Tsai later had lunch with US Senator Cory Gardner, who represents Colorado.
She is scheduled to arrive home today.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
Taiwan was ranked the fourth-safest country in the world with a score of 82.9, trailing only Andorra, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar in Numbeo’s Safety Index by Country report. Taiwan’s score improved by 0.1 points compared with last year’s mid-year report, which had Taiwan fourth with a score of 82.8. However, both scores were lower than in last year’s first review, when Taiwan scored 83.3, and are a long way from when Taiwan was named the second-safest country in the world in 2021, scoring 84.8. Taiwan ranked higher than Singapore in ninth with a score of 77.4 and Japan in 10th with
SECURITY RISK: If there is a conflict between China and Taiwan, ‘there would likely be significant consequences to global economic and security interests,’ it said China remains the top military and cyber threat to the US and continues to make progress on capabilities to seize Taiwan, a report by US intelligence agencies said on Tuesday. The report provides an overview of the “collective insights” of top US intelligence agencies about the security threats to the US posed by foreign nations and criminal organizations. In its Annual Threat Assessment, the agencies divided threats facing the US into two broad categories, “nonstate transnational criminals and terrorists” and “major state actors,” with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea named. Of those countries, “China presents the most comprehensive and robust military threat
RSS