Ma, Hsieh stress identity in debate

Through negotiations with Beijing under the premise of adequate national security protection, Ma said he plans to designate seven cities in Taiwan — Taipei Songshan and Taoyuan in the north, Chingchuankang in the center, Hsiaokang in southern Kaohsiung, Hualien and Taitung on the east coast, and the offshore Penghu County — along with an equal number of counterpart cities in China for direct transport services.

Taiwan’s frontline island of Kinmen can be added if necessary, he said.

It will take two to three months to launch the weekend charter flights and turn them into daily charter flights in six months, he said.

The two sides must also hammer out arrangements for scheduled flights because travelers are unable to book charter flight tickets three months earlier or ship cargoes, he explained.

Yet daily flights will help Taiwan’s air carriers flying to China extend further to the U.S. or Europe for the convenience of passengers.

Ma said he would call the air service “two-coast flight routes” to avoid political haggling and the prolonged impasse.

Diplomacy

Ma said Taipei and Beijing should end the decades-old diplomatic tug-of-war for allies around the world.

“The two sides should stop fighting diplomatically, and should not lure each other’s allies away. They have no reason to keep suppressing us,” he said.

More than 170 countries have recognized China but only 23 recognize Taiwan.

For Hsieh, opening up to China is on his agenda but must not come at the cost of the island’s security.

Hsieh said he has a plan in mind regarding the opening of direct links with China, but Taiwan’s national security and sovereignty should be given top priority.

“The opposition and the ruling parties should stop fighting each other so that we can unite and join hands in facing China,” he added.

“Ending the diplomatic battle would be good, but the problem is — what cost might we pay for this?”

Education and culture

To narrow the discrepancy in the students’ academic levels in cities and rural areas, Hsieh said he will adopt a system to allow a certain percentage of

vocational senior high school graduates to enter the government-run colleges and universities and encourage students to attend senior high schools in their own communities.

The schools that fail the academic standard evaluations will be washed out from the market, he added.

Ma said he will first provide free education to all vocational senior high school students to cultivate talent for the business community, increase subsidies to underprivileged students, and make the NT$50 billion-a-year project for outstanding universities a permanent program.

He said elevating the compensation for teachers at rural areas will help encourage them to stay with their jobs rather than moving to metropolitan areas.

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