Whoever is named to be minister of economic affairs in the next Cabinet reshuffle faces a number of challenges, including the realization of the 10 Major Infrastructure Projects and strengthening cross-strait business ties, pundits said yesterday.
Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (
Since Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), who doubled as the CEPD's chairman, also tendered his resignation yesterday, some observers said the chance for Ho to be named chairwoman in the upcoming reshuffle could not be ruled out.
Wherever she goes, Ho seems to be very popular within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government -- an administration which has been criticized for its lack of talent in the areas of economics and trade.
"It is difficult to coordinate various government departments, but I think Ho has done a good job [as council vice chairman]," Kung Ming-hsin (
"Ho is a good candidate [for the economics ministry]," Kung said.
As for the strengthening of the cross-strait business ties, Kung said that is a policy area set by the Cabinet.
Ho, 53, entered the ministry in 1975 when she joined the Industrial Development Bureau as a technician. She was promoted to deputy director general of the bureau in 1994. She served as a counselor to the Cabinet in 1997 and then became CEPD vice-chairperson in 2000.
During her tenure, Ho proposed and pushed forward several major policies, including a NT$20 billion program for creating public-service jobs to help ease unemployment.
Another major accomplishment was the planning of free-trade ports. Keelung Harbor and Kaohsiung Port have both obtained free-trade port status. Keelung will start free-trade operations in September, while Kaohsiung will begin next year.
Last December Ho proposed a NT$500 billion stimulus package to boost economic growth to 5 percent this year.
Another industry representative said he gave Ho high marks for her expertise and efforts to promote economic policies.
"Ho has a deep understanding of industry from her work in the Industrial Development Bureau for more than 20 years," said Tony Hsu (
Other possible candidates for the ministerial position include China Steel Corp (中鋼) chairman Lin Wen-yuan (林文淵), Taiwan Power Co (台電) chairman Lin Neng-pai (林能白) and Taiwan External Trade Development Council chairman Hsu Chih-jen (許志仁).
TEMPORARY TRUCE: China has made concessions to ease rare earth trade controls, among others, while Washington holds fire on a 100% tariff on all Chinese goods China is effectively suspending implementation of additional export controls on rare earth metals and terminating investigations targeting US companies in the semiconductor supply chain, the White House announced. The White House on Saturday issued a fact sheet outlining some details of the trade pact agreed to earlier in the week by US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) that aimed to ease tensions between the world’s two largest economies. Under the deal, China is to issue general licenses valid for exports of rare earths, gallium, germanium, antimony and graphite “for the benefit of US end users and their suppliers
Dutch chipmaker Nexperia BV’s China unit yesterday said that it had established sufficient inventories of finished goods and works-in-progress, and that its supply chain remained secure and stable after its parent halted wafer supplies. The Dutch company suspended supplies of wafers to its Chinese assembly plant a week ago, calling it “a direct consequence of the local management’s recent failure to comply with the agreed contractual payment terms,” Reuters reported on Friday last week. Its China unit called Nexperia’s suspension “unilateral” and “extremely irresponsible,” adding that the Dutch parent’s claim about contractual payment was “misleading and highly deceptive,” according to a statement
The Chinese government has issued guidance requiring new data center projects that have received any state funds to only use domestically made artificial intelligence (AI) chips, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. In recent weeks, Chinese regulatory authorities have ordered such data centers that are less than 30 percent complete to remove all installed foreign chips, or cancel plans to purchase them, while projects in a more advanced stage would be decided on a case-by-case basis, the sources said. The move could represent one of China’s most aggressive steps yet to eliminate foreign technology from its critical infrastructure amid a
Nissan Motor Co has agreed to sell its global headquarters in Yokohama for ￥97 billion (US$630 million) to a group sponsored by Taiwanese autoparts maker Minth Group (敏實集團), as the struggling automaker seeks to shore up its financial position. The acquisition is led by a special purchase company managed by KJR Management Ltd, a Japanese real-estate unit of private equity giant KKR & Co, people familiar with the matter said. KJR said it would act as asset manager together with Mizuho Real Estate Management Co. Nissan is undergoing a broad cost-cutting campaign by eliminating jobs and shuttering plants as it grapples
RSS