President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday was awarded last year’s John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service in recognition of her leadership in defending Taiwan’s democracy and standing up against Chinese aggression.
The Washington-based Halifax International Security Forum, which announced its decision in a video posted online, said that Tsai was “arguably the most powerful female politician in the Chinese-speaking world” and had helped Taiwan stand up against Beijing’s military coercion and international isolation.
The video also said that under her tenure, Taiwan was the first Asian nation to legalize same-sex marriage, and it also paid tribute to the nation’s success in containing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Photo: CNA
The annual John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service, named after late US senator John McCain, is awarded by the forum to individuals from any nation who have demonstrated “uncommon leadership in the pursuit of human justice.”
The 2019 prize was awarded to the people of Hong Kong, where democracy advocates organized protests following plans to pave the way for extraditions to mainland China.
Tsai was awarded the prize despite reports that the Canadian government had warned the organizers that it would pull its funding, apparently due to concerns about angering Beijing.
The forum receives half its funding from the Canadian Department of National Defence.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau later denied that the government had issued any such warning, adding that the forum was free to make its own decision and promising that his administration would continue to help fund the non-governmental organization.
The Canadian House of Commons also adopted a unanimous motion saying that Tsai was an ideal candidate for the prize.
In Taipei, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said in a statement that Tsai was honored to receive the prize, and that it represented the achievements of the whole nation and not her alone.
The nation’s success in preventing the spread of COVID-19 has shown the world that Taiwan can achieve a great deal when the nation is united and that it is a force for good that can contribute to the international community, Chang said.
Taipei and New Taipei City government officials are aiming to have the first phase of the Wanhua-Jungho-Shulin Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line completed and opened by 2027, following the arrival of the first train set yesterday. The 22km-long Light Green Line would connect four densely populated districts in Taipei and New Taipei City: Wanhua (萬華), Jhonghe (中和), Tucheng (土城) and Shulin (樹林). The first phase of the project would connect Wanhua and Jhonghe districts, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Chukuang (莒光) being the terminal stations. The two municipalities jointly hosted a ceremony for the first train to be used
MILITARY AID: Taiwan has received a first batch of US long-range tactical missiles ahead of schedule, with a second shipment expected to be delivered by 2026 The US’ early delivery of long-range tactical ballistic missiles to Taiwan last month carries political and strategic significance, a military source said yesterday. According to the Ministry of National Defense’s budget report, the batch of military hardware from the US, including 11 sets of M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) and 64 MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems, had been scheduled to be delivered to Taiwan between the end of this year and the beginning of next year. However, the first batch arrived last month, earlier than scheduled, with the second batch —18 sets of HIMARS, 20 MGM-140 missiles and 864 M30
Representative to the US Alexander Yui delivered a letter from the government to US president-elect Donald Trump during a meeting with a former Trump administration official, CNN reported yesterday. Yui on Thursday met with former US national security adviser Robert O’Brien over a private lunch in Salt Lake City, Utah, with US Representative Chris Stewart, the Web site of the US cable news channel reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “During that lunch the letter was passed along, and then shared with Trump, two of the sources said,” CNN said. O’Brien declined to comment on the lunch, as did the Taipei
A woman who allegedly attacked a high-school student with a utility knife, injuring his face, on a Taipei metro train late on Friday has been transferred to prosecutors, police said yesterday. The incident occurred near MRT Xinpu Station at about 10:17pm on a Bannan Line train headed toward Dingpu, New Taipei City police said. Before police arrived at the station to arrest the suspect, a woman surnamed Wang (王) who is in her early 40s, she had already been subdued by four male passengers, one of whom was an off-duty Taipei police officer, police said. The student, 17, who sustained a cut about
RSS