Premier-designate Yu Shyi-kun yesterday presented his fourth and final round of Cabinet appointees, including the new economic affairs and finance ministers, completing the reshuffled Cabinet which is to be sworn in on Feb. 1.
Lee Yung-shan (
Christine Tsung (
"Expertise, personality and suitability are my main criteria for making the nominations," Yu said, downplaying media speculation that Lee's appointment was a decision made overnight.
Just hours before midnight on Wednesday, Benny Hu (
But according to local media reports, Liu Tai-ying (劉泰英) -- Hu's former boss and current chairman of the CDIB -- opposed the appointment, prompting Yu and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to reconsider their choice and turn to former president Lee Teng-hui's (李登輝) finance wizard.
Yu stressed yesterday that he had the final say on all Cabinet appointments.
The new finance minister had turned down the offer at least three times before he finally agreed to take the post, Yu said.
Flatly denying that cronyism was also part of the decision-making process for the economic affairs and finance posts, Yu said that his ideal candidates were those with "a combination of industrial, academic and governmental backgrounds."
Assuring the media that they are suited for their new posts, Lee and Tsung yesterday outlined their qualifications for the tasks they have been assigned.
"My widespread contacts within the banking sector and academic circles will facilitate my future role as a bridge between the government and the private sector," Lee said.
Tsung said: "In the US, I had 15 years of experience working for the high-tech industry, a steel company and other traditional industries including the manufacturing sector."
Tsung added that she would soon relinquish her US citizenship before taking office.
Praising his successor, vice premier-designate Lin Hsin-yi (
Lin said he believed the two appointees would serve the people of Taiwan with a "customer-orientated" attitude.
Lee, 63, who holds a PhD in economics from the University of Wisconsin, had previously served as president of Chiao Tung Bank (交通銀行) and director of the Institute of Economics at Academia Sinica.
Tsung, 54, earned an MBA from the University of Missouri and studied management for one year at Washington University's graduate school before she worked as a marketing manager with Columbia Pictures and subsequently deputy CEO with US consumer-electronics company Electrolux.
She also served as a finance officer for the city government of Poway, near San Diego, California.
Other appointments yesterday included Lin Lin-san (林陵三) -- who will be promoted from vice minister to head up the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Meanwhile, Lin's predecessor Yeh Chu-lan (
Incoming Minister without Portfolio Kuo Yao-chi (
Hu Sheng-cheng (
Ouyang Min-shen (
Altogether Yu's new Cabinet contains 39 members, of which 23 posts have changed hands and 16 have been retained by members of the previous Cabinet. With an average age of 53, 31 are male and eight are female.Also See Stories:
Observers say DPP gaining confidence
Newsmakers: Huang returns to education fold
Newsmakers: New GIO head boasts diverse experience
Editorial: Economics picks boost confidence
New MOEA chief turns some heads
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was