Premier-designate Tang Fei (
Economist Lo Fu-chuan (
With the Cabinet-building now completed, President-elect Chen Shui-bian (
Chen, Tang and the new Cabinet will take office on May 20.
Chen Po-chih was yesterday reported as having agreed to the nomination as chairman of the CEPD, which acts as an official think tank to advise the government on economic planning, and a coordinator between different ministries in promoting crucial cross-agency policies.
The completed financial and economic team includes Lin Chuan (
The incoming CEPD head is believed to have had a close relationship with both outgoing President Lee Teng-hui (
He has also been a principle architect of the so-called "no haste, be patient (
He told reporters yesterday, however, that there was a need to review and rectify the policy due to the government's efforts to enter the WTO. But he insisted that the policy should not be abolished.
In related news, Schive Chi (
Hsia, the incumbent head of the AEC's research institute on nuclear energy, is to become the AEC's chairman, an appointment confirmed by government spokesman-designate Chung Ching (
According to Chung, Hsia received a PhD in nuclear engineering from MIT and has worked for the AEC for more than 10 years.
Another important appointment in the foreign relations field is also reportedly about to be confirmed.
Lo, an academic at the UN University in Japan, is likely to take over for Chuang Ming-yao (莊銘耀), secretary general-designate of National Security Council, as representative to Japan.
DPP lawmaker Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) was quoted as saying yesterday that Lo has served in the UN to resolve economic issues in developing Asian countries and is therefore familiar in political circles in many Asian countries.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
A Vietnamese migrant worker yesterday won NT$12 million (US$379,627) on a Lunar New Year scratch card in Kaohsiung as part of Taiwan Lottery Co’s (台灣彩券) “NT$12 Million Grand Fortune” (1200萬大吉利) game. The man was the first top-prize winner of the new game launched on Jan. 6 to mark the Lunar New Year. Three Vietnamese migrant workers visited a Taiwan Lottery shop on Xinyue Street in Kaohsiung’s Gangshan District (崗山), a store representative said. The player bought multiple tickets and, after winning nothing, held the final lottery ticket in one hand and rubbed the store’s statue of the Maitreya Buddha’s belly with the other,