TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) joined popular astrologer Jesse Tang (唐綺陽) in a rare TV show appearance on Wednesday (May 13) to promote Taiwan’s agricultural products.
In an Instagram post, Tsai said the coronavirus (COVID-19) had affected sales of agricultural products and that she had been “assigned” by the Council of Agriculture to help market the country’s agricultural produce on the Yahoo TV program Tang hosts.
Tang, who has a strong following both in Taiwan and China, made a green smoothie for the president and jokingly asked whether she would like the drink to be tested with a silver pin, a reference to the legendary practice of detecting poison in food prepared for Chinese emperors. Tsai replied that she had no cause for concern since all the fruits had been vetted, wrote CNA.
Regarding Taiwan’s response to the Wuhan virus (COVID-19) pandemic, Tsai expressed her gratitude to the task force headed by Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) for their strenuous work. The unit's staff have not taken a single day of leave in more than 100 days, she noted.
Tang said that Chen, as a Capricorn, is known for sticking it out in times of hardship, wrote Liberty Times. Tsai added that he is a good communicator who likes to mingle with doctors, nurses, social workers, and others involved with the ministry.
Tsai has recently taken part in a variety of campaigns to boost Taiwan’s international image. Earlier this week, she met with a French influencer and hawked the country’s taro products such as cakes and taro milk beverages.