Zhu Zhengxuan Directly Declares War: Tainan Cannot Rely Solely on “Winning by Lying Flat”! 2026 Decisive Battle for 2028, Building the First Nationwide Defense City!

The program interviewed Tainan City Councilor Zhu Zhengxuan, discussing Tainan's interactions with overseas Taiwanese in the United States and sister cities, the relationship between the 2026 local elections and the 2028 presidential election, transportation construction, historic site preservation, communication outages after typhoon floods and underground pipeline improvements, and outlining the concept of making Tainan a model city for全民国防 (nationwide defense), including village chief training, education, disaster‑prevention drills, medical mobilization, and preventing CCP infiltration.

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I think because it’s my first time here. I know this West Coast Taiwanese summer camp has a long history; if we discuss it, it seems to have started in 1975, gradually over half a century. Yes, a very long history. This year is my first visit, and I feel very honored, because here we see many outstanding Taiwanese overseas seniors, who have made their mark on this American land and earned great goodwill and respect from Americans toward the Taiwanese community, recognizing Taiwanese people as a great nation.

After coming here, I also see many Taiwanese who are familiar with the current situation in Taiwan and the US‑Taiwan relations, and these distinguished guests are invited here to give speeches. Through this summer camp, Taiwanese authorities at home and many of our overseas Taiwanese friends on the West Coast maintain a close, annual connection. So I think this bridge is extremely important, keeping everyone tightly linked.

Moreover, on the West Coast, especially Southern California, there are a lot of Taiwanese. Southern California alone has over three hundred thousand Taiwanese. Over three hundred thousand, a huge number. The whole United States has over one million, with more than five hundred thousand living on the West Coast and over three hundred thousand in Southern California. So this is a very important region for Taiwanese people.

I would like to ask: what kind of exchanges and relationships does Tainan City have with the United States? Are there sister cities? Any cooperation? Regarding sister cities, according to the official Tainan City Government release, there are sixteen sister cities in the United States. After establishing these agreements, we regularly have interactions and reciprocal visits. In terms of frequency, I think there are still some geographic factors; for example, Taiwan’s sister cities in Japan seem to have more frequent interaction. So I hope that by being here we can learn how to deepen the interaction between our sister cities in Taiwan‑US relations, which is truly very important.

As a Tainan City councilor, the nine‑in‑one elections are approaching, and I know many overseas Taiwanese friends in the United States might say, “This election, I’m from Tainan, it’s stable, why should I go back to vote?” Could you comment on the current electoral situation?

Regarding the election, I must say, because in Tainan City the Democratic Progressive Party primary has concluded, nominating legislator Chen Ting‑fei as our mayoral candidate, while the Kuomintang has nominated legislator Hsieh Lung‑chie. Both sides have a considerable gap in rhetoric and grassroots organization. So when you look at news coverage, most of the focus is on other counties and cities with more intense and competitive races, such as New Taipei City, which become the discussion focus. Consequently, Tainan’s attention level is relatively lower.

But I want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that Tainan basically wins every election. Of course we are a bit proud of that, as we can say it is a holy land of democracy, so we have always played a role of “southern votes, northern补”. Yes, saving Taiwan, Tainan saves Taiwan. Yes, like the previous four disagreements, and every presidential election, actually here, our southern votes have to surge out.

So I think 2026 itself is a pre‑battle before 2028, and everyone must not be overly optimistic, because we have to unleash our momentum in order to have a way to exert a very important influence in the next crucial presidential election, with Tainan playing a significant role. We need to be a vote‑blowing machine, a turbo engine, blowing out the southern votes.

Now, just before the election, many people are fiercely discussing various municipal issues. I know that transportation in Tainan is a key issue and also a difficult one, because there are so many historical sites that were built centuries ago—whether it’s Anping, the Fort Zeelandia fortress, etc.—these must be preserved and protected. Yet many also say that fast transportation is needed, that we need a metro, a more convenient system. How does the DPP view this issue?

In fact, Mayor Huang Wei‑che often says a phrase: it’s harder to alter a suit than to make a new one. Tainan’s current situation is like trying to alter a suit that already has an existing urban outline. So when we try to make adjustments, we end up encroaching on private land, which is a big taboo. Moreover, Tainan’s cultural‑heritage review is extremely strict; basically any construction that involves excavation and discovers a historic site will face a halt.

For example, the underground railway project in the old city of Tainan was halted for about twenty‑plus months because of heritage concerns. So for our overall transportation, innovating within an ancient capital presents difficulties.

Tainan residents, when they go to other counties or even abroad, notice that foreign cities have beautiful streetscapes and well‑planned lanes that separate left turns, right turns, through traffic, and sidewalks—basic standards. But those standards are invisible in Tainan. The lanes here are already narrow, making it impossible to add multiple turning lanes, let alone sidewalks.

Therefore, I think Tainan is progressing step by step. My constituency is Yongkang District, where there is a road called Zhonghua Road. In the past, both sides of Zhonghua Road were packed with shops and private stalls, not looking like a typical municipal road.

In recent years, as pedestrian awareness has risen, we have started to reclaim the sidewalk on Zhonghua Road. Reclaiming means that there originally was a sidewalk, but for decades it was buried and occupied, so it disappeared. Now we are gradually bringing it back, which I see as a sign of Tainan’s progress.

The pace of progress may not meet the urgent expectations of some, but it comes one step at a time. As for new redevelopment zones, any new zone in Tainan will essentially have sidewalks as a standard feature.

Because the national policy is the same: the Ministry of the Interior’s Land Administration (formerly the Construction Agency) has regulations that any road wider than a few meters, when newly built, must include a sidewalk. Even for existing roads undergoing resurfacing, if the width meets the standard, a sidewalk must be installed.

Of course this creates some conflict for existing residents; homeowners along the street may feel that they were used to the old situation, and the new sidewalks feel unfamiliar. But I find that with time people adapt. Once sidewalks are in place, the quality of life improves and safety increases. So there must be a physical combination of pedestrians and vehicles.

In short, people often joke that Tainan residents don’t walk; they say even if they go to a corner store or a convenience store, they ride scooters. Everyone loves to tease that Tainan people don’t walk. Actually, it’s not that Tainan people don’t walk; it’s that there isn’t enough space for pedestrians. Since walking is inconvenient, they naturally ride scooters everywhere.

But when you recover the sidewalk, I am now very moved, because our Zhonghua Road sidewalks are being built segment by segment. In the sections that have been completed, there are elders pushing wheelchairs, there are young mothers pushing strollers, and families of four or five, with adults leading children, walking on the sidewalk, even people walking to dine. I think the atmosphere of the whole city will gradually change, because our hardware changes will bring change.

Yes, this is a very good plan. Additionally, I would like to ask a question: this year the disaster situation in Tainan is also quite severe, with both typhoons and floods. When a disaster occurs, what must be done? Are there any new policies, or how should these issues be handled?

When a disaster occurs, I think the people of Tainan are very caring, so as soon as a disaster happens, the grassroots forces automatically gather, and they directly send supplies and needed manpower to the disaster area. Whether it is our legislative representatives' service offices or some caring citizens, they will proactively call for resources, gather them, and deliver them to the affected area.

Regarding the city government, during last year's wind disaster, the main problem was the path of the storm, which swept across our entire riverside coastline. We had never faced such a challenge on that coastline before, so the biggest issue was that our power lines and communication equipment were all blown out.

The immediate loss of communication caused serious consequences. Tainan has many administrative districts, and their district offices could not transmit information at the first moment. The district offices could not report, for example, how deep the water was, what difficulties residents faced, or what they needed; the information simply could not get out.

Therefore, especially along the coast, where the damage was severe and water flooded up to the waist or higher for an extended period, the lack of information caused a strong initial backlash from the public.

I think this is something we need to review after this incident. Communication during and after a disaster is truly crucial. Without it, the city government's decisions and resources cannot be delivered.

Besides that, we were a bit chaotic at the very beginning because of information issues. However, the city’s various units later coordinated manpower across districts, quickly moving staff to the most needed disaster areas. That is what Tainan City can do.

In the future, how can we prevent a similar problem, such as the coastal line losing communication? This post‑disaster experience gives us a very important opportunity to review. We have already invited the major telecom operators to coordinate on how to avoid such communication interruptions.

One important measure after this wind disaster is that the central government subsidized Tainan City to undertake a comprehensive undergrounding of utilities. After undergrounding, windstorms will no longer cut off power and communications.

I believe that once this infrastructure is built, I certainly hope Tainan will no longer face such terrifying windstorms, but even if they occur, I trust our resilience will improve. Communication will be restored, allowing the city government’s core to grasp the most urgent needs of each administrative district in real time.

That’s great.

When problems arise,

address the issue directly,

and look to the future to prevent

the same thing from happening again.

I think this is wonderful, and because before our interview I talked with you about some of your credentials and the issues you are promoting now. You mentioned something I quite agree with: you hope to make Tainan a model city for civil defense and comprehensive humanity, right? A model city. Could you share with the audience what kind of credentials you have?

Thank you, thank you, Stein, for giving me this opportunity. In our parliamentary inquiries we have always hoped Tainan could serve as a "national defense for all" demonstration city. We also know that in past elections Tainan’s support for local identity and Taiwan consciousness is higher than in other cities. So I believe Tainan has greater potential to become a national defense demonstration city.

We constantly emphasize that a well‑prepared national defense and readiness for war are meant to avoid war; when preparation is complete, war can be prevented. Therefore, Tainan must embody, in Latin, the idea that if you desire peace, you must be prepared for war. The phrase on the black bear sign below reads in Latin: "Desire peace, prepare for war."

Only when you are prepared, if you want peace, be ready for war, because only when you are prepared will others dare not step on you. However, I found that when you talk about this in each county and city, the county and city levels, I think the progress does not reach the level we expect, so we have always hoped that Tainan can play a leading role.

Therefore I have repeatedly questioned our municipal government. Regarding the Civil Affairs Bureau, I demand that our village (li) and forest (lin) chief system be deepened into a true so‑called national defense visitation, so that all citizens have a way to understand and participate. So I think the li‑lin system is the most important.

After our questioning, I also want to thank the Tainan City Civil Affairs Bureau; they really opened a disaster‑prevention classroom, requiring all 649 village chiefs in Tainan to undergo training, a two‑day, one‑night course. This is the most basic step, just the first footstep.

What we need next may be continuous deepening of this knowledge. In addition we want to expand the number of participants, so besides village chiefs, the next step may be to promote forest chiefs.

Thus I have continuously emphasized to the municipal government that the allowance for forest chiefs in Tainan must keep up. If you expect forest chiefs, the grassroots lifeline, to make more contributions, you could give them appropriate travel subsidies, as other five‑municipalities also have.

We will keep demanding that Tainan’s municipal government allow villages and forests to truly play the role of national defense visitation. Not only should they do it themselves, they must also find ways for more villagers to join and develop this awareness.

Beyond the civil‑affairs system, we have been speaking to the Education Bureau: if Tainan wants to be a model city for national defense visitation, it is not only a civil‑affairs matter; the Education Bureau is the front line. Let children bring it home; today’s parents and grandparents are very interested in what children learn.

Let children bring back topics such as cognitive warfare and fake‑news identification. These are abilities modern citizens need, but our past civic education did not emphasize them. In my generation, civic classes were often replaced by other subjects and sacrificed.

Even when taught, they did not address future cognitive warfare or fake‑news situations. So if you want to supplement this, if schoolchildren can take such courses, the overall cognitive atmosphere of Tainan will differ from other counties and cities.

Education is a century‑long undertaking, but if you do not act, it will never change. Therefore the civil‑affairs system, the education system, and also the medical system are all essential for building a national defense demonstration.

Medical. Yes, speaking of medical, because we are about to conduct an exercise. In July, I recently visited the president of Chengda Hospital, and he mentioned that each year the hospital must allocate dedicated personnel on standby.

Each hospital has this standby and must cooperate with our exercises. I have been emphasizing that our current civil‑defense drills focus on professionals—military, fire, police, and medical staff. These are professional trainings.

But, as you pointed out, when we talk about national defense for all, we must return to the people. We need to expand professional drills into the community so that community members also experience them.

You just mentioned the “黎明” system—does anyone know? My audience is especially concerned that the CCP’s infiltration would first target village and forest chiefs, possibly taking a group to China or having them vote for a fixed party. Does Tainan have this problem?

Tainan does. How should we face and handle this issue, and are there any legal loopholes in Taiwan?

I think, as we discussed, Taiwan has an anti‑infiltration law. If such behavior affects election results, it clearly violates the law and is easier to handle legally.

However, outside election periods, or even when people travel for leisure without such actions, the CCP may silently plant pro‑CCP impressions in people’s consciousness or subconscious. Because of the freedom of travel, you cannot simply forbid a village chief from leading a tour to China.

Even though we all know the travel cost is far below market price—for example, I heard clearly that a five‑day trip to Xiamen costs about NT$8,000 for fuel, plus airfare, accommodation, and three meals, all at a very high standard.

It’s obvious that he doesn’t want to make money from you; he wants to win your heart, to buy your affection. So you go along with batch after batch, thinking it’s just tourism. But actually, during the trip, he will insert things—maybe play videos or introduce you to certain people.

Those people might chat with you, greet you, and subtly release some information; they plant those seeds. And especially, when he takes us Taiwanese to see places, they’re always the most glamorous spots, trying to make you think of demonstration zones and the like. He’ll definitely show you the best side.

Thus, Taiwanese may develop a favorable view of the CCP, or at least lower their guard. In the future, when they receive information from the CCP, they might not be as alert or hostile.

Even in Tainan, this happens a lot; you can often hear village chiefs, even other representatives, leading villagers out in groups.

Wow, that’s quite serious. Looking at Tainan’s voter composition now, before it seemed like a democratic stronghold, but now especially among young voters, the support for the Taiwan‑focused camp isn’t as steadfast. How should the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) address this and win back their hearts?

It’s a serious issue. Young people, like all age groups, have many dissatisfactions with current politics. When existing problems can’t be solved, they easily shift their emotions and hopes to new options—a common phenomenon in democracies.

Although in the 2024 presidential election Tainan was the only of the 23 counties and cities where Lai Ching‑te received over 50% of the vote—a modest slip past the half‑mark—this is a positive sign that Tainan at least reached that threshold.

But who got the other roughly 40‑plus percent? They voted for the blue‑white candidates. So you’ll see Tainan, once described as a deep‑green stronghold, isn’t that simple.

I often respond that Tainan isn’t a deep‑green iron plate; the Kuomintang (KMT) simply hasn’t seriously cultivated the area. Their mayoral candidates often parachute in, without anyone rooting themselves locally.

Consequently, voters lack good alternatives and continue to choose the DPP—not because they exclusively support the DPP, but because the opposition offers no viable option.

We can’t take Tainan’s electoral landscape lightly; we must work on it earnestly. If you look at the structure, even in the 2022 presidential election, the blue‑white bloc captured nearly half the vote. We need to take this seriously.

Regarding the youth segment mentioned earlier, young people want concrete changes. Politicians often want to promote their ideals, saying, for example, the most important thing is to ensure Taiwan’s future generations can grow up safely on this land, in a free‑democratic environment—that’s our principle.

But after hearing the same rhetoric for decades, voters no longer respond to it. Young people now want to know specifically how policies will improve their lives.

They care about Tainan’s transportation, whether there’s enough green space, sports facilities, and how education supports their children. Those are their concerns.

Take long‑term care as an example: the central government’s budget grew from about NT$5 billion under Ma Ying‑jeou to NT$650 billion by the end of President Tsai’s term—a 13‑fold increase, and President Lai now wants a 3.0 version with even more funding.

In theory, these measures also benefit young people by easing the burden of caring for elders. However, they don’t directly link the benefits to the DPP’s performance, so voters may not attribute the goodwill to the party.

If we get specific—addressing demands like transportation improvements or new parks—we can show tangible results in citizens’ daily lives and make a stronger effort.

It feels like young people are now very concerned about transportation issues, and this seems to be a matter of information communication, because the DPP’s propaganda machines are numerous and massive, and young people love to watch them. So this may be how the Democratic Progressive Party wants to convey information and actual policy changes. For example, I just heard the secretary‑general’s speech, which presented numbers showing that Taiwan is developing very rapidly, all under the DPP’s rule.

They need to make it clear and audible what the Taiwanese government is doing for them.

And I think the issue you just mentioned is important because we are now in the United States, where there are many overseas Taiwanese. Even people from Tainan should return to Tainan to vote, which is also very important. Thank you very much, legislator.

Thank you.

Everyone, please continue to support.

Legislator Zhu Zhengxuan and the Democratic Progressive Party of Tainan.

Go Taiwan!

Thank you