By RK Shih / Staff – Image shows Mayor Chen with DPP 2026 mayoral candidate Lai Jui-lung (right), and DPP legislator Chiu Yi-ying (left).
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Thursday responded publicly after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) quipped that Chen’s “microphone will be bigger in the future,” signaling expectations of a broader national role once his mayoral term ends.
The remark was made on the second day of the Lunar New Year holiday on Feb. 18, when Lai visited Kaohsiung temples and offered blessings. Referring to Chen’s impending departure from city hall later this year, the president said Chen would not be able to relax for long and should be mentally prepared, adding that he would likely shoulder additional responsibilities for Taiwan at the central level.
Speaking while distributing red envelopes at local temples on Feb. 19, Chen said municipal work “cannot relax for even a second” and emphasized that Kaohsiung remains at a critical stage of transformation.
“The most important thing is that Kaohsiung is currently in a key period of transition, with major industrial development and infrastructure projects steadily advancing,” Chen said. He cited progress on the Baipu Industrial Park in northern Kaohsiung and continued expansion of the MRT Red Line as examples of projects central to the city’s long-term restructuring.
Chen said he would continue to work “with even greater effort, every minute and every second,” and stressed the importance of close coordination with the central government and legislature. He added that accelerating major construction projects and completing them on schedule would help ensure residents can live and work with peace of mind.
Chen concluded that sustained cooperation between local and national authorities would be essential to keeping Kaohsiung’s development momentum and meeting public expectations for continued economic and urban transformation.
