Premier-designate Su Tseng-chang (
Outgoing Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (
National Security Bureau Deputy Director Wang Chin-wang (
Among those Cabinet members who have been asked to retain their portfolios are Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (
Su said yesterday that his Cabinet will push through cross-strait trade and economic policies in line with President Chen Shui-bian's (
In that address Chen said that "active management, effective opening" represents the new mindset and course of action for cross-strait trade and economic policies, replacing "active opening, effective management," which had been pursued by the government since 2001.
Vice premier-designate Tsai Ing-wen (
Su said his team will carry out the policies stated in Chen's New Year message and will also heed administrative priorities and the needs of Taiwan.
He said he will elaborate on how he plans to achieve his aims in an administrative report to be submitted at a later date.
Su said his Cabinet choices are based on overall considerations as well as a need for teamwork, although he said he has also considered the willingness of possible candidates to be a part of the Executive Yuan.
Outgoing Premier Frank Hsieh (
Hsieh, who will step down tomorrow, said he was not very familiar with the operations of the Presidential Office since he had not served as secretary-general of the Presidential Office prior to his appointment.
But Su, who has previously served as secretary-general of the Presidential Office and as DPP chairman, should have better communications with the president and will have a smoother time pushing through administrative matters, Hsieh said.
Hsieh, who has not always seen eye-to-eye with Chen, refused to comment, however, when asked about his communications with the president and his thoughts on an open letter by former DPP chairman Lin I-hsiung (林義雄) in which Lin urged the exchanges between the president and the premier to conform to the Constitution.
In other developments, the Legislative Yuan has decided to invite Su to present his administrative policies at the legislature on Feb. 21, the day the legislative session reconvenes.
Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) said that each of the parties' caucuses will select two representatives who will then be allowed to question the new premier after he presents his policy statement.
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‘UNFRIENDLY’: Changing the nationality listing of Taiwanese residents to ‘China’ goes against EU foreign policy as well as democratic and human rights principles, MOFA said Taiwan yesterday called on Denmark to correct its designation of the nationality of Taiwanese residents as “China” or face retaliatory measures. The Danish government in 2024 changed the nationality of Taiwanese citizens on their residence permits from “Taiwan” to “China.” The decision goes against EU foreign policy and contravenes democratic and human rights principles, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei (蕭光偉) said. Denmark should present a solution acceptable to Taiwan as soon as possible and correct the erroneous designation to preserve the longstanding friendship between the two nations, Hsiao said. The issue could damage Denmark’s image and business reputation in Taiwan,
KEY INDUSTRY: The vice premier discussed a plan to create a non-red drone supply chain by next year, which has been allocated a budget of more than NT$7.2 billion The government has budgeted NT$44.2 billion (US$1.38 billion) to cultivate Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) industry over the next five years, which would make the nation a major player in the industry’s democratic supply chain in the Asia-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday. Cho made the remarks during a visit to the facilities of Cub Elecparts Inc (為升電裝). Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Su-yueh (陳素月) and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsieh Yi-fong (謝依鳳) also participated in the trip. Cub Elecparts has transitioned from the automotive industry to the defense industry, which is the top priority among the nation’s
SUFFICIENT: The president said Taiwan has enough oil for next month, with reserves covering more than 100 days and natural gas enough for 12 to 14 days A restart plan for the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Wanli District (萬里) and the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant in Pingtung County’s Hengchun Township (恆春) would be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Commission by the end of the month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, reversing the government’s policy to abolish nuclear energy. On May 17 last year, Taiwan shut down its last nuclear reactor and became the first non-nuclear nation in East Asia, fulfilling the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government’s pledge of a “nuclear-free homeland.” Even without nuclear power, Taiwan can maintain a stable electricity supply until 2032,
DEROGATORY: WTO host Cameroon’s designation of Taiwan as a ‘province of China’ seriously undermines the nation’s status and rights as a WTO member, MOFA said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned Cameroon for listing Taiwan as “Taiwan, Province of China” in visa documents for an upcoming WTO ministerial conference, a move that led to Taiwan’s withdrawal from the event. The designation “seriously undermined” Taiwan’s status and rights as a WTO member, the ministry said in a statement. It is the first time since 2001 that Taiwan has declined to attend a WTO Ministerial Conference. The conference is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday next week in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon. Taiwan had planned to send a delegation led by Minister Without Portfolio