Overseas community emphasizes voting’s role in democracy

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The San Francisco overseas Chinese community hosted a New Year's flag-raising ceremony on Monday (Jan. 1) with officials emphasizing the importance of voting as a demonstration of democratic values in the upcoming elections.

Fremont Mayor Lily Mei attended, encouraging robust participation in the upcoming Taiwan-U.S. elections and stressing the significance of every individual's vote.

Director-General Scott Lai of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in San Francisco highlighted Taiwan's achievements in the past year at the TECO Culture Center in Milpitas. These included Taiwan's high rankings in freedom (second in Asia) and global competitiveness (sixth worldwide).

Regarding U.S.-Taiwan relations, Lai mentioned the meeting between Morris Chang, founder of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), and key U.S. officials at the 2023 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, emphasizing the U.S. executive branch's support for Taiwan.

However, Lai acknowledged challenges in Taiwan, particularly in the recovery of the tourism, sightseeing, and restaurant industries, as well as issues like declining birth rates and wealth disparity.

Lai assured that the government would adopt a proactive and responsible approach to bring positive changes that benefit the public.

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