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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS