By Chris Wang / Staff Reporter
Greater Kaohsiung should serve as the catalyst of expedited development in southern Taiwan, which would eventually result in the balanced regional development of the country, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday in Greater Kaohsiung.
The development of Greater Kaohsiung as a port metropolis would be crucial in making the special municipality the economic engine for southern Taiwan, the DPP chairperson said at a campaign stop.
Tsai was briefed about a project to develop Kaohsiung’s bay area by 2014 by Kaohsiung’s DPP Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) on a boat ride to inspect the harbor. The project would include a pop music center, a public library, a trade exhibition center, a tourist center and a light-rail rapid transit system.
The development gap between northern and southern Taiwan during the governance of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) was alarming and the gap has widened after the high-speed rail system started operating, she said.
“That is why it is important to improve the infrastructure in southern Taiwan so that we can have balanced regional development,” she said.
Tsai pledged to increase and speed up funding if she is elected next month and reiterated that she would not make any promises she could not keep.
In related news, the DPP launched a TV spot focused on immigration policy.
The ad, which is in Vietnamese, tries to appeal to the hundreds of thousands of foreign spouses in Taiwan.
It says that they should not be discriminated against, because they have made great contributions to Taiwanese society.
Tsai’s campaign pledged to implement a new immigrant-friendly policy, which would encourage foreign spouses to teach their children their native languages and improve vocational training.
It is the only TV ad in the presidential campaign so far that is in a foreign language.