Chiang Wan-an defends Taipei's achievements against Premier Cho's criticism using comparative data

Taipei City Mayor Chiang Wan-an and Premier Cho Jung-tai recently engaged in a war of words from afar over central and local governance issues, sparking intense political attention. The controversy stemmed from an increasingly palpable electoral atmosphere, as Premier Cho publicly criticized Mayor Chiang as a "three-nos mayor," questioning his proactiveness and attitude toward promoting municipal administration. Faced with the implicit criticism from the head of the central government, Chiang, as the mayor of the capital, immediately and strongly fought back, throwing out multiple administrative data points and a "three-comparisons" framework to emphasize that Taipei City has not only slacked off in major areas concerning citizens' lives, but has also delivered impressive results. This war of words between the central and local governments not only highlights the intensification of political maneuvering, but also prompts the public to re-examine the interaction model between the Executive Yuan and the Taipei City Government regarding basic governance.

In response to Cho Jung-tai's "three-nos mayor" accusation, Chiang Wan-an's team immediately displayed a tough attitude, defending the dignity of their administration by detailing the implementation effectiveness of the city government's key policies. Chiang subsequently threw out comparisons across multiple dimensions to the central government in an effort to reverse the outside impression that the Taipei City Government's administration is moving at a snail's pace. Political analysts pointed out that the capital city of Taipei has always been a fiercely contested battleground in Taiwanese politics, and the words and deeds of the Taipei mayor are often scrutinized under a magnifying glass, with interactions between central and local leaders frequently carrying deep political implications. As the electoral schedule advances, any administrative friction and verbal sparring are easily interpreted as a frontline offensive and defensive battle between political party camps, naturally making the verbal clashes between the two sides particularly eye-catching.

Faced with Chiang Wan-an's counterattack and external discussions, Premier Cho Jung-tai responded once again during a subsequent public itinerary, stepping forward personally to explain the central government's concern and substantive actions regarding local governance. Cho explicitly stated that the Executive Yuan attaches high importance to and has never slacked off on the three major issues concerning people's daily lives that the general public closely cares about: traffic safety, food safety, and public security. He particularly emphasized that as the premier, he personally chairs the "three-safety meetings"—which include the traffic safety council, the food safety council, and the public security council—demonstrating the central government's determination and attitude in commanding from the seat of power and strictly vetting issues. Cho's remarks, apart from specifically responding to Chiang's queries, also served to highlight the central government's leading role and responsibility in maintaining social stability and public safety.

Looking deeper into this central-local clash, the "three safeties"—traffic safety, food safety, and public security—have always been core indicators by which the Taiwanese public judges government administrative satisfaction. In recent years, whether it is the island-wide focus on pedestrian safety, food safety incidents that have repeatedly triggered public panic, or endless public security concerns, these issues directly affect public trust in the ruling team. Precisely for this reason, the premier personally chairing the three-safety meetings not only demonstrates the scale of government governance, but also conveys a signal to local governments and the general public that the central government places high importance on cross-ministerial coordination. Conversely, local governments, as frontline executors, must bear the most direct public opinion pressure; the division of authority and responsibilities and the efficiency of cooperation between the central and local governments on these issues have always been important topics in the development of Taiwan's local autonomy.

From a deeper political and social significance, the war of words between Chiang Wan-an and Cho Jung-tai reflects the delicate relationship of both cooperation and competition between the central and local governments when facing complex governance challenges. On one hand, capital city governance requires the injection of central resources and policy support; on the other hand, local leaders must also demonstrate sufficient independence and governance capability to respond to voters' expectations. When the political rhetoric fades away, what the general public truly anticipates is not verbal sparring between leaders in front of media lenses, but rather that the central and local governments can truly put aside factional prejudices and conduct substantive cooperation on fundamental livelihood issues such as traffic safety, food safety, and public security, thereby jointly enhancing Taiwan's overall public safety and quality of life. This is the core value of public governance most worthy of reflection behind this war of words.