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Business praises new economics chiefs

The business sector yesterday welcomed the appointments of Hu Sheng-cheng (胡勝正) and Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) to two important economics positions in the government.

Hu, 64, was named chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) by the Cabinet yesterday, after Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義) asked to leave the position after May 20. Ho, 53, will serve as new minister of economic affairs, replacing Lin Yi-fu (林義夫).

"Hu's solid academic background means he is well-suited to that position," Chen Cheng-yi (陳正毅), spokesman for the General Chamber of Commerce (GCC, 全國商總), said yesterday.

"Ho has a deep understanding of the economic development of the country from her experience in the Industrial Development Bureau," Chen said.

However, Chen said, as the nation's economic structure has changed during recent years, Ho and Hu will need to lead the way to smoothly transform the country from a manufacturing-based economy into a knowledge-based economy.

Hu served as an economics professor at Indiana's Purdue University from 1968 to 1996. He received his doctorate in economics in 1967 from the University of Rochester, New York, and returned to Taiwan to work for Academia Sinica in 1996. The veteran economist joined Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) administration in 2000 as minister without portfolio.

Hu told the Taipei Times last night that he was grateful for the recognition from the government and would carry out the CEPD's major ongoing projects.

Ho 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. She could not be reached for comment.

Guy Wittich, chief executive officer of the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT), praised Hu and Ho's records of working with ECCT as coordinators between the group and various government departments.

Lauding Ho and Hu's achievement in pushing major economic policies such as the free-trade port initiative and cross-strait shipping issues, Wittich said he expected them to continue pressing the passage of the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), which will allow foreign companies to bid for infrastructure projects, and enhancing protection of intellectual property rights.

However, one industry insider was less than impressed with the appointments.

"The two candidates seem to be relatively weak," said a senior official of Chinese National Association of Industry and Commerce (工商協進會) who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The official said Ho works hard but lacks industry vision as she has been working in government institutions. Ho, the official said, was not as senior as the current three vice ministers -- Yin Chi-ming (尹啟明), Steve Chen (陳瑞隆) and Shih Yen-shiang (施顏祥) -- who had been Ho's superiors.

Hu's modest and easy-going personality makes him a good candidate to help coordinate economic-policymaking, but not to be a determined policy maker, the official said.
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