"(Typhoon) Morakot (that struck Taiwan in August 2009) taught everyone to have humility in the face of the formidable power of nature. A city must have resilience in dealing with natural disasters, as global warming has resulted in more extreme weather across the globe."

"I hope Han's government will focus on what's right or wrong in a matter, instead of the politics involved in it."

"Both of our (Mainland China and Taiwan) legal and governance systems were built following the 'one China' structure. That is why Cross-Strait relations are not state-to-state relations and there is no room for Taiwanese independence."

"One China; peace on both sides of the (Taiwan) Strait; mutually beneficial integration; strive for a Chinese revival."

"I believe that the peaceful development of cross-strait ties will continue to be deepened and institutionalized."

"No matter what we choose, our unwavering stance is to enhance the safety of nuclear power generation in the country."

"You have to treat every day as the last day of your appointment, regardless of how long you are going to serve."

"Ask not how long the term you will serve, but ask what meaningful things you will do during your tenure."

"We will not change what we have already announced to the public (regarding minimum wage hike). This is something that the workers have been waiting many months for, and the government should respect the efforts they put into their daily duties."

"Many government officials have very high moral standards at the beginning of their duties, but after a while some officials sway from the right path and easily fall into the temptation of bribery and fraud."

"The then-Japanese empire suppressed the people of the Republic of China and took over the authority against our will, and so ‘Japanese occupation’ should be a proper term to describe the period."

"If the government does not adjust the electricity rate, then even God could not operate Taipower."

"A democratic country has zero tolerance for all illegal monitoring operations."

"Where there is the will, we can make it."

"The relationship between Scotland and the United Kingdom and that between the ROC-Taiwan and (Mainland) China are totally different. The ROC is an independent country, so the question of announcing independence via referendum is simply a nonstarter. Any kind of referendum that aims to change the status quo would be unwise. Keeping the ROC on Taiwan as an independent, sovereign state is our topmost priority. Any idea diverging from this would be at odds with the Constitution and against our citizens’ interests."

"A country cannot solely rely on the government and opposition parties to solve all of the problems."

"Politics should be as simple as possible; it should respond directly to the needs of the people, it should help to solve the problems for the people and this is what I want to do for Taiwan."

"Many people think the DPP does not welcome Chinese tourists. This is definitely not true."

"Taiwan is the Republic of China, the Republic of China is Taiwan."

"If (Mainland) China's dream is a dream of democracy, Taiwan will provide all needed assistance in the process of realizing that dream."

"I also hope that Mainland China does not misinterpret or misjudge the current (cross-strait) situation, or think that Taiwanese will bow to such pressure. In a democratic society, this kind of pressure is felt by all. No administration in Taiwan can make a decision that runs counter to public opinion."

"I would like to stress that, we would be happy to see normal cross-strait exchanges based on equality and dignity, openness and transparency, and no political talks."

"You can have different stances, but it's wrong to hit someone (Culture Minister Cheng Li-chun). What consequence would there be if the same behavior happened in the authoritarian era? The answer is exactly the reason we should cherish the democracy."

"The institute (Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology)'s researchers laid the foundation for its success by daring to brave the challenges they faced and learning from their failures."

"In the face of (Mainland) China's suppression, Taiwan's sincerity towards our friends (states with diplomatic relations with ROC) remains unchanged, as does our position regarding maintaining the peaceful and prosperous status quo in the Asia-Pacific region."

"I am saddened to see these scenes of violence against unarmed protesters (in Hong Kong) and hope that Taiwan can continue to serve as a beacon of democracy for those who seek freedom."

"I want to stress that the situation in Ukraine (being attacked by Russia) and in the Taiwan Strait are fundamentally different, not only because of the natural barrier of the Taiwan Strait, but also Taiwan's geopolitical and strategic status."

"If President Tsai (Ing-wen) refuses to accept the '1992 consensus' and refuses to acknowledge its existence, I implore her to provide a specific solution for discourse with (Mainland) China, and not just throw around hipster slogans."

"President Tsai Ing-wen is a signal lamp casting out China’s looming shadow, conveying to the world that Taiwan will not acquiesce to the Chinese Communist Party."

"We are so proud of your leadership — a woman president in one of the freest societies in the world. We will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan."

"People feel anxious, especially when we have to wonder whether the president, Taiwan's democratically elected president, will be addressed as president. If he (Ma Ying-jeou) cannot even defend his own title, what can he defend for us?"