Vice Premier Tsai Ing-wen's (蔡英文) determined attitude was well demonstrated during the Conference on Sustaining Taiwan's Economic Development held late last month.
Tsai, though well-known as head of the panel that developed former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) "special state-to-state" theory (兩國論) in 1999, was locked in a heated debate at the conference with members of the pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union over the easing of the 40 percent cap on investment in China.
She was spotted during the conference breaks negotiating with other participants over plans to ease the investment ceiling, which was eventually listed with the "other opinions" -- those intended to serve as advice for the government, but which would have no binding effect on the Cabinet.
Known for her articulate and precise expression in English, Tsai played the role of conciliator in 2002 during her term as chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), flying to Washington to explain President Chen Shui-bian's (
She convinced players in Washington that Taiwan had not changed its stance on cross-strait relations.
Tsai first took on the leadership of the MAC in 2000. Although she was not then a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) member, she was well-trusted by the DPP government as well as President Chen Shui-bian (
"During her first year as chairwoman of the MAC, she simply would not talk to the press," said a senior cross-strait affairs journalist who wished to remain anonymous. "Now, she does, but what she tells you are only those things that she wants you to know."
While Tsai had once explained to reporters that her cautiousness is driven by a desire to avoid misunderstanding, some reporters complain that Tsai's remarks usually contain nothing but political language and rhetoric.
Tsai's professional attitude has garnered approval from both the pan-blue and pan-green camps.
"She does not bluff about something that will never happen or try to avoid difficult questions posed by lawmakers. That is really something," said former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Apollo Chen (陳學聖).
Former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) said Tsai's performance as head of a government agency should be a role model for her fellow government leaders.
"Her statements or answers to the legislature are always logical and clear," Shen said. "Sometimes I really felt that listening to her in the legislature was a joy."
Former KMT legislator Liao Feng-te (廖風德) said Tsai's perseverance and firm attitude impressed him the most, although he would not really appreciate it all the time.
"I questioned her on the MAC's policies many times and there were several quarrels between us on the legislative floor. However, she would insist on the rightness of her positions and explain them to me patiently -- even though I still believed that there were flaws in them. That was quite different from other government officials," Liao said.
The vice premier is also known for her tendency to retain a low-profile, which is typical of both her work and private life.
For instance, she was entitled to a driver when she was the MAC chairwoman and still has the right to this service as vice premier. But, she prefers to drive by herself. In addition, she has refused the service of bodyguards.
Despite the fact that her father passed away in the lead-up to the economic conference, she only asked to take a week off after the conference concluded.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS