2024 starts off in Taiwan with a heated debate between the three vice presidential candidates. Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), the running mate of the ruling DPP presidential candidate Lai Ching-te (賴清德), was the first candidate to speak at the debate.
Hsiao began by comparing economic data under the DPP and Tsai administration and the previous KMT ruling. Hsiao said the DPP has led Taiwan with policies that made the country a key player in the global supply chain, shaping a stronger and more active Taiwan. In her remarks, Hsiao also emphasized that the government has raised the minimum wage and elevated Taiwan’s competitiveness by making the right calls.
Following Hsiao’s remarks was Cynthia Wu (吳欣盈) who said that she’s the only candidate among the three who has hands-on financial experience. Wu believes that her experience working at her family’s company has won her global recognition and that her party, the TPP, is offering something more practical than bipartisanship.
After Wu’s remarks, the KMT’s vice presidential candidate Jaw Shau-kong (趙少康) started by accusing the ruling DPP of raising stakes in the Taiwan Strait and rejecting Chinese tourists. In the middle of his remarks, Jaw announced that he is resigning from the Broadcasting Corporation of China, a radio broadcasting company founded by the KMT in 1928. He said if he becomes the vice president, he will not take a salary and will make the residential building a public housing for youth.
The debate continued with media questions and candidate exchanges, where candidates swapped shots on national security and economic issues.