President Tsai Ing-wen has praised successful efforts at cooperation between local governments in central Taiwan.
On Saturday, Tsai attended an event for high ranking officials from Taiwan’s central Changhua, Nantou, and Miaoli counties, as well as the central city of Taichung. The event took place in Zhongxing New Village, Nantou County. Tsai said that she has been advocating cooperation between local governments since 2014.
She highlighted recent examples of successful cooperation between central Taiwan’s local governments, including a cross-county platform for food safety issues, a regional network of consumer protection lawyers, and continued cooperation between counties on transport infrastructure.
Tsai also spoke about three areas she believes will need reform to ensure Taiwan’s future development. She said that the first area in need of change is the capabilities of local governments. Tsai said that local governments should receive more autonomy.
Tsai also said that the gap between the financial resources different areas receive will also need to be addressed. She said that cost-cutting and revenue-generating policies should be put in place at the same time to improve local finances.
Lastly, Tsai said that the central government should support plans for cooperation between local governments and encourage local authorities to set up a mechanism for cross-county cooperation.
Tsai said she hopes that the efforts of local officials from central Taiwan will place the region in an important positoin during the next stage of Taiwan’s development.