The first televised debate for vice presidential candidates took place Saturday afternoon.
The three contenders are Wang Ju-hsuan of the Kuomintang (KMT), Chen Chien-jen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and Hsu Hsin-ying of the People First Party (PFP).
The candidates were asked about their concrete plans to forge ties with the East African Confederation, a proposed union between Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi.
The DPP’s Chen Chien-jen said that Taiwan should use its soft power means like medical care and humanitarian assistance to help Africa's people. Chen said that his participation as a World Health Assembly observer when SARS struck Taiwan in 2003 is the best example of Taiwan using its soft power.
The KMT’s Wang Ju-hsun accused the DPP of relying on checkbook diplomacy. In her response, Wang talked about her trip to Burkina Faso when she was the head of the Council of Labor Affairs.
The PFP’s Hsu Hsin-ying said that Taiwan should not focus on the number of countries that recognize it diplomatically. Hsu said that Taiwan can build trade ties with the proposed federation.