DPP taps Puma Shen for Taipei mayoral race

Taipei, May 13 (CNA) Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) on Wednesday pledged to turn Taipei into a top-tier international city after securing the party's nomination for the Nov. 28 Taipei mayoral election.

Shen is set to run against Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Kuomintang (KMT).

Shen's nomination was confirmed at a meeting of the DPP Central Executive Committee earlier in the day.

Speaking at a news conference at the DPP headquarters, Shen highlighted his international background, noting that he earned a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate from the University of California, Irvine.

"I have been around the world, but in the end I chose to return to Taipei, because I believe a great city should make its residents proud," Shen said.

He said he hoped to transform Taipei into an international city comparable to New York, Paris and Tokyo.

Shen identified traffic congestion, limited green space and an unfriendly child-rearing environment as key challenges facing the capital.

He pledged to improve Taipei's transportation network, adjust labor policies to allow parents to spend more time with their children and expand "green corridors" across the city.

Asked about campaigning in a city traditionally seen as a KMT stronghold, Shen described himself as a "challenger" and said he would focus on listening to grassroots concerns.

President Lai Ching-te (賴清德), who also chairs the DPP, praised Shen's NGO experience, including his leadership roles at the Kuma Academy and Doublethink Lab, both of which Shen co-founded.

Lai said Shen's academic background in criminology, law and sociology, as well as his knowledge of public policy and city governance, would help prepare him to govern Taipei if elected.