Taiwan President and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Chairman Lai Ching-te, who also serves as the President of the Republic of China, expressed today that the significant cuts and freezes in the central government’s budget by the Legislative Yuan set a detrimental precedent that is not beneficial to the interests of the people and the nation.
During the 21st and 22nd Standing Committee meeting of the DPP held today, the party invited Hou Yi-hsiu, Secretary-General of the Taiwan AI School, to deliver a special report titled “China’s Speech Control on Large Language Models and Taiwan’s Response – A Case Study on DeepSeek.” DPP spokesperson Han Ying relayed President Lai Ching-te’s remarks, stating that recent international market uncertainties have caused some fluctuations, impacting Taiwan’s economy temporarily during the Chinese New Year.
Lai Ching-te emphasized the importance for Taiwan to position itself advantageously amidst rapid international developments, contribute to regional prosperity, uphold rules-based international order, and value the opinions of like-minded allies. He stressed the need to demonstrate a willingness to do more and offer assistance beyond safeguarding national interests and bottom lines, to gain negotiation leverage in international interactions.
The President pointed out that the current central government budget has been significantly slashed and frozen by over 30%, making it difficult for Taiwan to demonstrate its willingness to contribute. This lack of flexibility could hamper Taiwan’s ability to navigate changes in the international landscape. Lai Ching-te urged opposition parties to reconsider their stance, emphasizing that such a precedent is not in the best interest of the entire nation.
Furthermore, he mentioned that the recent persistently damp and cold weather will bring another cold front to Taiwan on Friday, with temperatures in the north possibly dropping to 10 degrees Celsius. Lai reminded the public to take precautions and stay warm.
He also called on the public to remain vigilant as the flu season has not yet ended. There is still an inventory of free and self-paid flu vaccines available, and Lai urged individuals over 65, those with chronic conditions, students, and preschool children to get vaccinated promptly to protect their health and that of their families.
Lai Ching-te emphasized that as the new year begins, the government’s mission and goals remain unchanged. The responsibilities and challenges are even greater, and he called for continued efforts from the government, the Executive Yuan, the DPP, and the party caucus to lead Taiwan forward steadily and orderly.