離開
進入《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Foreign reporters drill Sean Lien
Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien speaks at an international press conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
‘PRINCELING’ PROBLEMS: The KMT Taipei mayoral hopeful found that reporters were more interested in his feelings about public perceptions than in his policies
By Alison Hsiao / Staff reporter
Chinese Nationalist Party （KMT） Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien （連勝文） rolled out his policies and vision for the city, while struggling to answer some pointed questions at an international press conference yesterday.
Attracting foreign investment for the capital’s industries and projects as well as enticing foreign corporations and workers to relocate to the nation were the emphases of Lien’s presentation, which was conducted in English.
“Our hope is to attract NT$50 billion （US$1.65 billion） in foreign capital in the next four years and to create 50,000 jobs. We notice that, due to the deteriorating investment environment in China, investment there has decreased, compared to previous years. However, the money did not come to Taiwan; it went to Singapore, Hong Kong or even [South] Korea,” Lien said.
Making Taipei the next stop for investors would be his predominant goal, he added.
Foreign investment and overseas corporations would be encouraged to participate in such key projects as the Taipei Twin Towers and the Taipei Dome, alongside increasing capacity at technology parks in Neihu and Nangang, and at a biomedical technology park in Shilin, he said.
Strategic industries such as biomedical technology, tourism and the creative sector would also be the city’s focus, Lien said.
“We would establish a team of people to help foreign corporations — and the foreign nationals working with them — find offices and housing, which would provide businesses the incentive to relocate,” he added.
While Lien made an effort to showcase pre-election sweeteners, foreign media outlets were more interested in asking about his perceived image as a “rich, spoiled kid” and his view on the protests in Hong Kong, considering that the Sunflower movement had negatively affected his party. Foreign reporters also asked about Lien’s lagging poll numbers against independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je （柯文哲）.
A foreign reporter asked Lien: “Will what is happening right now in Hong Kong play against [you] in the election because the Sunflower movement earlier this year fueled a backlash against the KMT?”
Lien said no, and underscored his support for democracy in Hong Kong.
“We believe that having a direct and free election and true democracy not only enhance Hong Kong’s status, but also show China’s rising confidence in the global community,” he said.
Pressed on his views on the controversial cross-strait service trade pact and the accompanying national security concerns harbored by many Taiwanese, Lien generalized the issue, highlighting his belief in the benefits that he said free trade would bring to the nation.
“China is a trading partner. America is a trading partner. The Philippines are a trading partner. I believe in free trade, not only with China, but with the rest of the world,” he said.
On national security, Lien reiterated the importance of maintaining the so-called “status quo,” saying: “As that cannot be changed overnight, why do we not sit down and talk?”
When a Japanese reporter asked Lien why he is still perceived as a “second-generation princeling,” despite months of efforts to erase the perception, Lien compared his situation with that of Koizumi Shinjiro, son of former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.
Choosing a candidate who can “do the job and resolve challenges” is the crux of democracy, he said, not judging a candidate by asking where they come from.
“Our opponents have tried to focus on these issues because this is a cheap [tactic.] You do not have to spend a lot of money; you just need to focus on class struggle. You do not have to convince people or tell them how you could execute and deliver your promises,” Lien said.
On Ko, he said: “A lot of people like him because they are not happy about what is going on in Taiwan right now. He might be the reflection of the public’s negative feelings toward the government, but unfortunately, he is not the answer.”
“You can criticize the government as harshly as you want, but somebody has to come out and do the job and provide feasible solutions,” he added.
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
