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  • 8/13/2019 DPP Newsletter November2013

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    NOVEMBER 2013

    PAGE 1

    DEMOCRACY & PROGRESS

    DPP delegation visits Manila, attends an!niversary celebrations with Asian sisterparties

    DPP Chair Su Tseng-chang led a delegation to

    Manila to attend the 20th anniversary celebra-

    tions of the Council of Asian Liberals and

    Democrats (CALD) in Manila from November

    8 to 11.

    DPP sister parties in Asia, including Thailand,

    Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Mongolia,

    among others, took part in the weekend confer-

    ences discussing political reform in Asia. Also

    on this occasion, there was a combined meeting

    between the democratic political party of the

    EU Parliament, the Alliance of Liberals and

    Democrats of Europe (ALDE).

    Below are the remarks made by Chair Su at the

    plenary session on November 9:

    Honorable Rainsy, Honorable Sir Watson,

    Honorable Van Baalen, Your Excellencies, fel-

    low members of CALD, distinguished guests,

    ladies and gentlemen,

    It is my pleasure to join this great gatheringwith our friends from CALD and ALDE to

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    NOVEMBER 2013

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    celebrate the twentieth anniversary of CALD. I

    am proud to say that the discussions to form

    CALD actually started in Taiwan in 1993 when I

    was serving as the Secretary-General of the

    Democratic Progressive Party. As you can easilytell, the DPP and CALD already formed a strong

    bond when Taiwans democratization started to

    gain momentum. I am very glad that the relations

    between the DPP and CALD are still going

    strong.

    CALD and Taiwan Democracy

    This year also marks the 27thanniversary of the

    DPP. In 1986 when Taiwan was still under mar-tial law, I and 17 other members founded the very

    first democratic party in our country to push for

    democratization as the only path to end political

    persecution.

    We fought hard against the KMT one-party rule

    and successfully pushed for general elections for

    the parliament and the president, and ultimately

    the DPP became the ruling party in 2000. We

    joined the Philippines and Korea in leading the

    third wave democratization in East Asia.

    We have worked closely with our friends in

    CALD to promote democracy, human rights and

    freedom throughout the region. Now I am very

    pleased to see that CALD has become the most

    important party alliance in Asia. As we look back,

    we did not foresee how far we could go when we

    started this network. But we have come a long

    way, and we should all be proud of ourselves.

    Addressing the Impact of GlobalizationIn the past two decades, some of us were given

    the opportunities to govern. But just as some new

    European democracies have experienced, some

    Asian democracies are now fighting democratic

    setbacks. For just one example, the people of

    Taiwan allowed former regime return to power a

    few years ago. We now see some old practices

    come back alive.

    However, our determination to consolidate de-mocracy in the region should not be compro-

    mised by the setbacks. What we need now is to

    pin down the causes and work hard to overcome

    the challenges. In this regard, we face fundamen-

    tal issues such as building strong democratic in-

    stitutions and new factors such as globalization.

    Even though the latter was not directly related to

    democracy, it has certainly impacted our

    democratic processes.

    Globalization, beginning from the late

    1990s, has brought both opportunities and

    challenges to all of us. Our societies have

    been reshaped and the societal gaps have

    been widened. The challenges have come

    very fast and people seem to have lost

    their patience for long-term structural re-

    form. Many people simply want to relive

    in the good old days and support the

    past regimes in exchange for a more se-cured economic environment. In some

    countries, such as my own, the democratic

    formalities still exist, the substance is otherwise.

    The issues associated with globalization require

    more regional and international cooperation, as

    none of us can cope with the challenges alone.

    We must stay in solidarity. Together we will con-

    solidate democracy domestically, regionally and

    globally. We should bear heavier responsibilitiesto share the experiences of good governance in

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    NOVEMBER 2013

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    moving forward our common objectives.

    The young democracies should not go against

    each other. Rather, we need to work together to

    meet the challenges of the anti-democratic forces.We also need to support each other to suppress

    the temptation of some people to welcome back

    the past. We know quite well what the old re-

    gimes in new faces are capable of: painting an

    unreal economic picture, then depriving the peo-

    ple some fundamental rights, and in the end the

    fruits of growth are only in the hands of the pow-

    erful few.

    Successful Stories to be NoticedNevertheless, we should never be discouraged

    by the setbacks or the challenges, as successful

    stories are still evolving. I am particularly happy

    to see the launch of political transition in Burma.

    This is the result of the effort made by the people

    with strong international support. I also notice

    that the Philippine liberal leadership has demon-

    strated their determination for good governance

    by launching political reform.

    Your sister party in Taiwan, the DPP, has now

    received more popular support than the governing

    KMT in nation-wide public opinion polls. The

    localities in which the DPP governs have also

    been recognized to have out-performed their

    peers. We are confident that we will gain more

    ground in the elections next year. The DPP is

    ready to shoulder more responsibilities

    New Challenges Ahead

    There are still new challenges ahead of us, in-

    cluding over-development, pollution, ecological

    damages, and ever more natural disasters caused

    by the climate change. We should come to the

    awareness that growth rate is not the only figure

    that matters; sustainability should be our prime

    consideration. In this regard, the experience of

    some of our European partners can illuminate our

    path to development. We also need to adopt a

    policy to help revitalize the private sector and to

    create an environment friendly to small and me-

    dium enterprises. In my view, we should always

    remind ourselves the objectives of CALD and ask

    ourselves the key question: have we done enough

    to win the support of the people?

    Strengthening a Democratic Alliance

    In my trip to Tokyo earlier this year, I proposed

    to form a democratic alliance among Asian de-

    mocracies to safeguard our value and our com-

    mon interest. The DPP advocates peaceful resolu-

    tion through diplomatic consultation to end dis-

    putes in East and South China Seas. Taiwan can

    and should serve as a regional leader in promot-

    ing peace in the contested areas. And fellow de-

    mocracies in the region should work together,based on our belief in the universal value, to

    overcome the challenges brought by the regional

    strategic dynamics.

    Here I would also like to repeat what I delivered

    in my trip to Washington, D.C. in June: responsi-

    bility, reconciliation and rebalance. The DPP is

    committed to its responsibilities for the future of

    Taiwan, is willing to reconcile through dialogues

    as a means to normalize cross-strait relations, and

    desires to be a responsible partner of fellow de-

    mocracies in the Asia Pacific.

    Conclusion

    My dear CALD colleagues, we have built a

    solid foundation of a democratic alliance among

    the Asian liberal and democratic parties. We need

    to stand firmly together, in power or in opposi-

    tion, to repel the threats to democracy, and to

    promote our core value, freedom and democracy,

    in the region and throughout the rest of the world.

    The DPP enjoys the benefits of the international

    network provided by CALD and LI. They are

    crucial to Taiwan, for our international space has

    been limited. I would like to take this opportunity

    to extend to you our appreciation for your support

    all these years, in all issues. I look forward to the

    next twenty years of CALD.

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    Upon hearing the disaster caused by Typhoon

    Haiyan in the Philippines, DPP Chair Su Tseng-

    chang made a donation on behalf of the DPP of

    USD $10,000 to the Philippines government on

    November 10.

    While visiting Manila for the 20th Anniversary of

    the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats

    (CALD), an alliance of liberal democratic politi-

    cal parties in Asia, Chair Su expressed his con-

    cerns for the victims of the devastating typhoon

    that had just landed in the Philippines.

    DPP legislators and party staff unanimously

    agreed to support the DPPs initiative to express

    the DPP's concern through action.

    Representing the wishes of Chair Su, director

    of the DPPs Department of International Affairs,

    Mr. Liu Shih-chung met with officials from the

    government and the leaders of the ruling party,

    the Liberal Party of the Philippines in Manila.

    The donation will be made through the assistance

    of CALD.

    Also to assist in the donation drive, DPP Legisla-

    tor Bikhim Hsiao, who was present in Manila to

    attend CALD's anniversary celebrations, gave a

    personal donation of USD$1,000.

    DPP donates to relief e"orts in Philippines

    President of Liberal International (LI) Hans van

    Baalen MEP and Chair of the Democratic Pro-

    gressive Party (DPP) Su Tseng-chang met in

    Manila, Philippines in the framework of the 20th

    anniversary of the Council of Asian Liberals and

    Democrats (CALD). Present at the meeting were

    LI secretary General, 10 legislators from DPP

    and Department of International Affairs Director,Mr. Liu Shih-chung.

    The two leaders discussed the latest political de-

    velopments in Taiwan, the prospects for Free

    Trade Agreement EU/Taiwan and democratic

    tendencies in Asia at large. Chair Su updated

    President Van Baalen on the new moments with

    regards to the wiretapping political scandal in

    Taiwan, which continues to shake the political

    scene in the nation.

    Both leaders agreed that the text of the Liberal

    International Resolution on Taiwan, adopted at

    the 191st LI Executive Committee in October

    2013, rightly addresses the wiretapping scandal

    and its consequences. The two leaders renewed

    their call on all democratic political forces in

    Taiwan, be it in government or in opposition, to

    fully adhere to the wording and the spirit of theadopted LI resolution.

    Liberal International, DPP releases jointstatement condemning Taiwan wiretappingscandal

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    DPP condemns Chinas ADIZ announce!ment

    In November, the PRC government announced thatit unilaterally created the East China Sea Air De-

    fense Identification Zone (ADIZ), which includes

    part of Taiwan's northeast air defense identification

    zone and is in close proximity to our nations Penjia

    Islet, and therefore poses an enormous challenge to

    our sovereignty and national defense. DPP Chair Su

    Tseng-chang responded immediately by asserting

    the partys firm position on national sovereignty

    and security. Chair Su condemned Chinas conduct

    as an expression of regional hegemony and de-

    manded that the Ma administration not tolerate

    China's trespassing and impairing regional stability

    via such irrational means.

    Nevertheless, 48 hours have passed and apart from

    the National Security Council voicing its concern

    through a statement and the Defense Ministry con-

    veying its regrets, Present Ma has not taken any

    concrete actions. Hence, at the specific instruction

    of DPP Chair Su, DPP Policy Research Committee

    Executive Director Joseph Wu, International Affairs

    Department Director Liu Shih-chung, China Affairs

    Department Director Honigmann Hong Tsai-lung

    and Convener of the Defense Policy Advisory

    Committee York Chen made the following state-

    ment:

    I. The Chinese governments unilateral declara-

    tion of the ADIZ, which overlaps with Tai-

    wans and Japans existing air defense

    zones, not only runs counter to international

    norms, but also represents an attempt to uni-

    laterally change the status quo. This has re-

    sulted in a rapid escalation of tension in the

    Asia-Pacific region and seriously jeopard-

    izes regional stability and peace. The DPP

    solemnly remonstrates against such irre-

    sponsible provocations and demands the

    Chinese government retract its ADIZ an-

    nouncement immediately.

    II. Since 2009, the Chinese government has con-tinuously claimed its core national inter-

    ests over disputed territories and, after the

    autumn of 2012, it deployed aircraft and

    vessels into the disputed area in the East

    China Sea in the face of opposition from

    other nations. This has led to an escalation

    of regional tension and hostility. Chinas

    expansionist behavior has constituted a

    challenge to regional stability. The DPP has

    responded to Chinese conduct several times

    to call for close attention from all parties

    and joint opposition to Chinas expansionist

    approaches. The DPP is deeply concerned

    that the worlds failure to take substantial

    actions will only embolden China to launch

    military aggression against its neighbors.

    III. The DPP supports US Secretary of State John

    Kerrys criticism of Chinas unilateral at-

    tempt to alter the status quo and Defense

    Secretary Chuck Hagels reiteration that the

    US remains steadfast in our commitments

    to our allies and partners. The DPP is will-

    ing to work with our international partners

    to safeguard regional peace and stability in

    the Asia-Pacific.

    IV. After China unilaterally declared its estab-

    lishment of this air defense identification

    zone, the Ma administrations response to

    the issue was rather feeblea mere expres-

    sion of concern and regret by different

    agencies, with no statement of opposition or

    denunciation. This represents a serious dere-

    liction of duty. The DPP is extremely disap-

    pointed in the governments handling of the

    matter.

    V. History has shown that weakness only breeds

    more aggressive expansion and costs na-

    tions more dearly afterward.

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    NOVEMBER 2013

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    Therefore, the DPP issues three demands of the

    Mas administration:

    (1) That the government lodges a solemn protest

    against Chinas unilateral establishment of an

    ADIZ which challenges the status quo in theAsia-Pacific region.

    (2) That the government maintains close contact

    with concerned friendly nations to coordinate

    necessary cooperation and pay attention to

    developments.

    (3) That, in order to defend our nations sover-

    eignty and national security with substantial

    action, militarys patrols by Taiwans fighter

    jets and naval vessels in the nations own

    ADIZ in waters off northeastern Taiwanshould not be interrupted by Chinas ADIZ

    announcement.

    In the fourth plenary meeting of the DPP China Af-

    fairs Committee held today, November 14, Assis-

    tant Professor York Chen, convener of the Defense

    Policy Advisory Committee, presented a report on

    National Security Implications of Cross Strait In-

    teraction: Consensus and Controversy.

    Subsequently, Joseph Wu, Executive Director of the

    DPPs Policy Research Committee, briefed the

    committee with an update on the drafting process of

    the China policy review report. Committee mem-

    bers engaged in vigorous debate on these two top-

    ics, exchanging views on a range of issues from the

    consensus on constitutionalism to the

    strategy for cross strait inter-city ex-

    change.

    According to committee spokesman, Mr.

    Cheng Wen-tsang, DPP Chair Su Tseng-

    chang made the following remarks at the

    meeting:

    Cross strait relations have seen many

    changes in this past period: several

    agreements have been signed, and the

    economic relationship has grows closer

    by the day. As the biggest oppositionparty in Taiwan, the DPP must arrive at a

    new appreciation of regional dynamics and cross

    strait relations, and fulfill our responsibility toward

    Taiwans future by articulating our position. The

    purpose of forming the China Affairs Committee

    was to undertake a deep and comprehensive discus-

    sion of China policy, and to address the issue head

    on. This meeting had no set conclusion at its begin-

    ning, and we hope that before the next meeting on

    Jan. 9, 2014, all committee members can communi-

    cate as much as possible or assign their aides to

    participate in related discussions, in a bid to seek a

    more fruitful and positive result for the DPPs

    China policy.

    DPP China A"

    airs Committee fourth ple!

    nary meeting statement

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    Director Honigmann Hong of the DPPs China Af-

    fairs Department said that the preliminary draft of

    the final report was a summary based on the past

    three plenary meetings and seven expanded meet-

    ings on China policy that have been held so far. The

    contents of the current draft includes a preface, fol-

    lowed by separate chapters on basic positions and

    core values; domestic politics on both sides; Tai-

    wans economic strategy, civil society; foreign pol-

    icy; and national security. Overall, the seven ex-

    panded meetings that have taken place to date rep-

    resent the most comprehensive effort to examine

    the question of cross strait relations in Taiwans his-

    tory, encompassing 520 attendees, 48 expert brief-

    ings, 13 written opinions, and 188 speakers.

    Spokesman Cheng went on to recount the observa-

    tion from Professor York Chens report, that as the

    cross strait military situation becomes increasingly

    imbalanced, Taiwans national security already

    faces a serious challenge. Taiwan must strengthen

    its defense while building a consensus on national

    security, as the two sides continue to interact.

    On the basis of existing consensus on the relevantquestions, the fundamental cross strait defense bal-

    ance, the content of discussions from the seventh

    expanded meeting of the China Affairs Committee,

    and related policy statements previously issued by

    the DPP, Dr. Chen recommended four basic policy

    propositions as follows:

    1. Taiwan must establish a peaceful relation-

    ship with China conducive to mutual pros-

    perity and co-existence. Both sides of the

    Taiwan Strait bear the international respon-sibility for maintaining the peaceful status

    quo. Chinas peaceful rise is contingent

    upon its sincere pursuit of safeguarding

    peaceful coexistence over the Taiwan Strait.

    2. Taiwans national security strategy is inex-

    tricably linked with the values of democ-

    racy, freedom, and human rights. Taiwan

    should view the China issue through a

    global and a regional perspective, meaning

    that there must be a balance between cross

    strait relations and national defense.

    3. In foreign policy, the democratic alliance

    anchored by the United States and Japan is

    clearly in the process of expansion anddeepening, thus increasing Taiwans

    geostrategic relevance. On Oct. 3, 2013,

    U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State

    Kin Moy stated that Taiwan can play the

    role of a regional leader in transnational is-

    sues. Taiwan serves as a model for emerging

    democracies, and should therefore bear cor-

    responding responsibility by proactively

    participating in related international activi-

    ties. China should not suppress Taiwansefforts to contribute to the international

    community. Taiwans foreign relations

    should follow the principle of values di-

    plomacy, combining the universal values

    of democracy, freedom, and human rights

    with best practices from Taiwans experi-

    ence. Working through diverse and flexible

    channels of soft power, such as international

    organizations and inter-city exchanges, to

    strengthen ties and expand relations, Tai-wans sustained existence can be turned into

    a positive asset to the Chinese people and

    the international system.

    4. In the quest for a peaceful and secure envi-

    ronment, Taiwan will pursue any path that

    can help to maintain regional stabilityin-

    cluding security cooperation within a demo-

    cratic alliance or confidence building meas-

    uresin order to reduce any miscalculation

    that could lead to military aggression. Tai-

    wan must take serious stock of its own self-

    defense resolve and capability. Taiwan has

    no intention of engaging in an arms race

    with China, but deterrence of Chinese mili-

    tary aggression is a precondition for cross

    strait stability, peaceful coexistence, and

    prosperity. Taiwans defense budget must be

    raised significantly in order to rebuild the

    confidence of our people, our armed forces,and our international friends.

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    NOVEMBER 2013

    PAGE 8

    The DPP held its eighth Huashan China Forum on

    November 28 with the topic Chinas Economic

    Transformation with Taiwans Development Strat-

    egy. Presiding the meeting was Convener of the

    DPPs Subcommittee on Financial and Economic

    Strategy, Mr. Wu Rong-I, who concurrently serves

    as chair of the Taiwan Braintrust.

    The discussion at the forum this time involved the

    prospects of Chinas economic transformation in

    the next ten years and its reform on state-owned

    enterprises. Speakers and attendees gave their sug-

    gestions on how to formulate a China policy for the

    government to support Taiwanese companies to

    possess a cross strait competitive edge.

    Director of the DPPs China Affairs Department,

    Mr. Honnigman Hong said that in the 21stCentury,

    Taiwan not only has to face the issues that come

    with globalization, but also Chinas economic rise.

    Gradually, Taiwanese industries have lost their bal-

    ance and have tended to incline towards China.

    China is currently transforming its economy to fo-

    cus more on internal consumption by its rapid ur-

    banization, for which Mr. Hong said this transitionis bound to affect the future of cross strait eco-

    nomic and trade patterns. Mr. Hong said the great-

    est challenge for Taiwan in the future is to ensure

    that its democratic and free system remains un-

    changed while

    seeking for

    economic de-

    velopment.

    Discussants forthe forum this

    time were: Mr.

    Hsieh Jing-he,

    CEO of the

    Investor Media

    Group; Profes-

    sor of Eco-

    nomics Ken-

    neth S. Lin

    from NationalTaiwan Uni-

    versity; Direc-

    tor Liu Monchi

    from the

    Chung-Hua

    Institution for

    Economic Research; and Associate Professor Chen

    Min-chi from the Institute of Sociology of National

    Tsing-Hua University.

    DPP holds eighth Huashan China Forum todiscuss Chinas economic transformation

    with Taiwans development strategy

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    PAGE 9

    In regards to The Gambias announcement to end

    diplomatic relations with Taiwan, the DPP held a

    press conference to express its views on this issue

    with Director of the Department of International

    Affairs Liu Shih-chung saying that this represented

    the end of President Mas record of sustaining Tai-

    wans diplomatic allies.

    Mr. Liu said that The Gambias end to diplomatic

    relations with Taiwan represents a new crisis, andas such, the DPP makes three demands to the gov-

    ernment, highlighted below:

    (1) Taiwans Ministry of Foreign Affairs must pro-

    vide clear explanations to the reasons why The

    Gambia decided to end diplomatic relations

    with Taiwan;

    (2) National security and foreign relations agencies

    must conduct crisis management to prevent an-other wave of diplomatic break-ups;

    (3) President Mas Administration should focus on

    deepening the alliance with democratic coun-

    tries and place more value on foreign relations

    between Taiwan and other nations, between

    cities, and between those in which Taiwan can

    show its outstanding qualities in cross-border

    and regional issues, and it must stop ranking

    cross strait relations and cross strait policy

    above foreign policy.

    The breaking of relations between our country

    and The Gambia is unlike the past, Mr. Liu said.

    Former diplomatic countries would break off rela-

    tions with Taiwan to announce their new relation-

    ship with China, yet this time there was no an-

    nouncement. This shows that President Mas policy

    in the past years of active diplomacy, diplomatic

    truce and even zero break-offs are all coming to

    an end.

    Mr. Liu explained that the diplomatic truce of

    President Mas Administration in the past five

    years have caused serious problems. The first one

    being that this administration prioritizes cross strait

    policy over foreign policy, leaving the frontline

    staff in foreign relations with restraints. Second,

    with the lack of goals for foreign relations, there is

    a lack of morale among our staff and left with

    complacency, they were unprepared to face with

    issues like the breaking off of relations by TheGambia this time. Third, as a result of the diplo-

    matic truce, our diplomatic allies in Latin America

    and Africa, such as Honduras, Panama, Paraguay,

    Sao Tome and Principe, have held discussions with

    China to open trade and economic offices. Presi-

    dent Ma has been unable to prevent these kind of

    incidents, and this shows that our foreign relations

    continues to deteriorate.

    Mr. Liu commented that the future foreign relationsbattle between the cross straits will not only en-

    compass a game of numbers, but rather, it will be a

    game of trade between real benefits, eventually

    leading Taiwans diplomatic allies to break off one

    by one.

    DPP: The Gambian diplomatic break!uprepresents end of Mas diplomatic truce

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    PAGE 10

    The DPP announced on November 20 the candi-

    dates who won the primaries for the 2014 elections

    in the counties and cities of Greater Kaohsiung,

    Greater Tainan, Chiayi, Ilan, Yunlin, Pintung and

    Nantou. The winning candidates are the following:

    ! Ms. Chen Chu for Greater Kaohsiung (incum-

    bent);

    ! Mr. Lai Ching-teh for Greater Tainan (incum-

    bent),

    ! Ms. Chang Hua-kuan for Chiayi County (in-

    cumbent);

    ! Mr. Lin Tsung-hsien for Ilan County (incum-

    bent);

    ! Mr. Pang Meng-an for Pintung County;

    ! Mr. Lee Chin-yong for Yunlin County; and

    ! Mr. Lee Wen-chung for Nantou County.

    The primaries were conducted majorly through the

    polling method, in which residents of the relevant

    counties and cities were polled on the popularity of

    each candidate.

    Chair Su Tseng-chang, along

    with the candidates held a press

    conference under the slogan

    New Green Deal Begins in

    2014, which is aimed at pro-

    moting the DPPs quality gov-ernance in these counties and

    cities.

    The 2014 elections are about to

    begin on a greater scale nation-

    wide, and the DPP today wishes

    to present our candidates, Chair

    Su said. Our hopes of course

    are that everyone here today

    wins the elections, but our goalis to win at least three in the six

    cities and more than half in the counties.

    We have confidence in our past experience and

    achievements, which are the best guarantees to the

    people. The public has expressed a satisfaction rate

    of over 80% for mayors Chen Chu and Lai Ching-

    teh. Additionally, Governor Chang Hua-kuan, who

    with so many few resources from the central gov-

    ernment, has used her innovation and creativity to

    make great strides and gain greater support fromthe people of that county. Governor Lin in Ilan,

    who defeated the KMT incumbent at that time, has

    made great changes in Ilan so evident that all of

    Taiwan is aware of them.

    Chair Su also promised that he would exert his re-

    sponsibilities as chair of the DPP and give his all in

    the campaign, visiting every county and city

    throughout next year.

    Later on November 29, the DPP also announced

    the winner of the primary for Changhua County,

    Mr. Wei Ming-kun.

    DPP announces November winners of 2014elections primaries

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    NOVEMBER 2013

    PAGE 11

    U.S. Congressman John Carter visits DPPHeadquarters

    U.S. Congressman John Carter

    (R-TX), who serves as co-chair

    of the Taiwan Congressional

    Caucus, visited the DPP Head-

    quarters on November 5,

    greeted by DPP U.S. Represen-

    tative Joseph Wu.

    Mr. Wu expressed his appre-ciation to the U.S. Congress-

    man for the long-term support

    to Taiwan through these years.

    In regards to Taiwans pur-

    chase of defensive weapons, he

    repeated Taiwans wishes to

    purchase from the U.S. ad-

    vanced weaponry in order to

    strengthen our defensive capa-

    bilities such as the F-16 C/D.

    Also during the meeting, both sides discussed the

    recent assistance by the U.S. Congress regarding

    Taiwans entry into ICAO (International Civil Avia-

    tion Organization). Mr. Wu said that Taiwan con-

    tinues to face extreme difficulties in its interna-

    tional space, and he is very thankful for Congress-

    man Carters support of Taiwan joining ICAO.

    With opportunities like this to participate interna-

    tionally, Mr. Wu said Taiwan may advance its in-ternational status and be able to contribute even

    more to the international community.

    Mr. Wu further added that one of the differences

    between the DPP and the KMT is that the DPP

    strongly values Taiwans national security and its

    ability to defend itself. He said that when DPP

    Chair Su Tseng-chang served as premier during the

    DPP administration, the defense budget was 3% of

    the national GDP. He reported that the DPP contin-ues to pressure President Mas Administration to

    increase the defense budget.

    Congressman Carter was accompanied by his of-

    fices chief of staff, Mr. Steve Gilleland. Also pre-

    sent were Mr. Liu Shih-chung from the DPPs De-

    partment of International Affairs and Mr. Wu

    Hsiang-jung from the DPPs Survey Department.

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    NOVEMBER 2013

    PAGE 12

    DEMOCRACY &

    PROGRESS

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