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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Candidate's 'make her happy' remark sparks political row

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • KMT candidate for New Taipei City mayor, Li Sichuan, was accused of deliberately avoiding a greeting with DPP candidate Lin Shu-hui.
  • Li's campaign stated he was greeting constituents first, and Li later said he would greet Lin first next time to make her happy.
  • A political commentator criticized Li's response as arrogant and dismissive, suggesting it could hurt his election chances.

A political spat has erupted in New Taipei City after KMT mayoral candidate Li Sichuan was accused of deliberately snubbing his DPP rival, Lin Shu-hui, at a public event. The incident occurred on June 18 at a Dragon Boat Festival event in Yingge District.

Video footage showed Li approaching constituents waiting to greet him, while Lin stood behind a crowd of photographers and attendees, seemingly unable to reach him. Li's campaign office initially stated that he was greeting constituents who were waiting for him on the side before entering the venue. However, Li later commented on the incident, saying he only realized Lin was behind the photographers after watching the video. He added that if his actions made Lin unhappy, he would greet her first next time to "make her happy."

If it made Su Chiao-hui unhappy, next time I will shake hands with Su Chiao-hui first, 'make her happy.'

— Li SichuanLi Sichuan's response when asked about the incident.

This response drew sharp criticism from political commentator Chou Hsuan, who lambasted Li's remarks as arrogant and out of touch. "Whether to shake hands is a personal choice, but what does 'make her happy' mean?" Chou questioned on Facebook. He accused Li of displaying the "arrogant mentality of an old blue male official," implying that shaking hands with Lin was a condescending favor. Chou suggested that Li's comments were disrespectful and inappropriate, potentially jeopardizing his 2026 mayoral election bid.

Whether to shake hands is a personal choice, but what does 'make her happy' mean? Li Sichuan completely displays the arrogant mentality of an old blue male official, as if shaking your hand is my charity, just to make you happy?

— Chou HsuanPolitical commentator Chou Hsuan criticizing Li Sichuan's statement.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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