Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Joseph Wu (
The appointment comes after President Chen Shui-bian (
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Tai-san (
Wu told reporters after meeting with Yu yesterday afternoon that he will exert himself in his new job based on the foundation laid down by Tsai.
"I'll also do my best to communicate with lawmakers and to develop a sound relationship with the media," he said.
The meeting between Wu and the premier came one day after Chen asked Wu about his interest in the job.
Wu, 50, was appointed to his job at the Presidential Office in 2002.
He is a former teacher and research assistant in the political science department of Ohio State University. He also served as the deputy director of the Institute of International Relations at National Chengchi University, where colleagues said he wrote papers critical of Beijing.
Analysts said Wu's assignment, coming after Chen appointed former independence activist Mark Chen (陳唐山) as foreign minister, would send a strong message to China on Taiwan's sovereignty.
"With Mark Chen in the foreign ministry and Joseph Wu in the Mainland Affairs Council, this combination sends a very powerful message to the world," said Su Chi (蘇起), who was chairman of the MAC under the former KMT administration.
"Both are diehard pro-independence individuals," said Su, a close aide to KMT Chairman Lien Chan (
According to outgoing Cabinet Spokesman Lin Chia-lung (
"She told the premier that she'd like to take care of her sick mother and have more time to herself for reading and traveling," Lin said. "She also discussed cross-strait policies with the premier but she didn't recommend any candidate as her successor."
While Lin said Chiu's appointment has not been finalized, Wu told reporters yesterday afternoon that Chiu has accepted the position.
During a meeting with Yu on April 29, Chiu was promised a No. 2 position at either the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Mainland Affairs Council or the proposed Financial Supervisory Board.
Chiu, 48, was elected to the legislature in 1999 and is a former member of the National Assembly. He practiced law after obtaining a master's degree from National Taiwan University.
Lin yesterday dismissed speculation that Fan Yun (范雲), an assistant researcher at Academia Sinica's Institute of Sociology, has accepted the premier's offer to head the National Youth Commission.
"It's groundless speculation," Lin said. "The premier didn't contact Fan to discuss the matter, nor did she contact the premier to accept or decline the offer."
Lin said the premier had five candidates in mind but Fan was not one of them.
"It may take a while to find the most suitable person," Lin said.
Chen has pledged that the new head of the National Youth Commission will be "the youngest person in the Cabinet," and preferably a woman under 35.
Progress has not been made in the search for the two vacancies for ministers without portfolio.
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
TALKS CONTINUE: Although an agreement has not been reached with Washington, lowering the tariff from 32 percent to 20 percent is still progress, the vice premier said Taiwan would strive for a better US tariff rate in negotiations, with the goal being not just lowering the current 20-percent tariff rate, but also securing an exemption from tariff stacking, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said yesterday. Cheng made the remarks at a news conference at the Executive Yuan explaining the new US tariffs and the government’s plans for supporting affected industries. US President Donald Trump on July 31 announced a new tariff rate of 20 percent on Taiwan’s exports to the US starting on Thursday last week, and the Office of Trade Negotiations on Friday confirmed that it
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