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🇹🇼 Taiwan /Elections & Politics

Taipei Mayor Cancels City Event for Political Rally, Draws Fire

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an canceled a municipal event to attend a press conference with a legislative leader.
  • Critics accused the mayor of prioritizing political mobilization over city affairs and disrespecting business leaders.
  • City officials defended the mayor's absence, stating food safety concerns were a priority and business leaders understood.

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an's last-minute cancellation of his appearance at the opening of a new innovation hub has sparked criticism from opposition councilors. Chiang was scheduled to attend the "INNOPAD TAIPEI" event on Thursday morning but notified organizers shortly before that he would be unable to attend.

Instead, Chiang went to the Legislative Yuan to hold a press conference with KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi. This decision drew sharp condemnation from Democratic Progressive Party councilor Chien Shu-pei, who accused the mayor of neglecting his municipal duties for political maneuvering.

Chiang has no heart for city affairs; everything he does is for politics.

— Chien Shu-peiTaipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei criticized Mayor Chiang Wan-an for prioritizing political events over municipal duties.

"Chiang has no heart for city affairs; everything he does is for politics," Chien stated, adding that the mayor "stood up" AMD Taiwan general manager Chen Min-hao and Microsoft Taiwan general manager Chen Shou-cheng by canceling so late. She questioned how these business leaders could trust the city if such last-minute changes occur.

Today morning we informed them about the absence, they expressed understanding and respect, there was no problem of standing them up.

— Chen Chun-anTaipei's Industrial Development Bureau Director Chen Chun-an defended Mayor Chiang Wan-an's cancellation, stating business leaders understood the need to address food safety concerns.

City officials, however, defended Chiang's absence. Industrial Development Bureau Director Chen Chun-an explained that the mayor's priority was to address recent public concerns about food safety, particularly regarding oil products. He asserted that both AMD and Microsoft representatives understood and respected the decision, and that food safety is a crucial municipal issue that also impacts the business environment.

Chien countered that the timing of the legislative press conference, announced just before the city event, indicated a clear prioritization of political activities. She suggested that if the guests had been as high-profile as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Chiang would not have dared to cancel. The councilor argued that the mayor's actions showed a disregard for Taipei's innovation sector and its future, despite his public commitment to city affairs.

If today's guests were Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, would you dare to use the same excuse to stand them up?

— Chien Shu-peiTaipei City Councilor Chien Shu-pei questioned Mayor Chiang Wan-an's priorities by comparing the importance of business leaders from AMD and Microsoft to that of Nvidia's CEO.
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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