Premier Su Tseng-chang (
Su and his Cabinet members took a group photo after presiding over the weekly Executive Yuan meeting earlier yesterday to commemorate the last day of his nearly 16-month tenure.
Su said that although he had met with numerous political challenges during the past 16 months, the help he received from the Cabinet enabled him to deal with the problems.
PHOTO: CNA
"I would not say we did a perfect job, but we definitely did something remarkable," he said.
"The unemployment rate dropped to 3.9 percent. The TAIEX reached 8,000 points," he said. "I think we managed to do something meaningful."
Su also talked about his "Big Warmth" plan. The plan is set to be implemented over a three-year period, and forms the first stage of the government's Economic Development Vision 2015 strategy. The total cost of the project is estimated at NT$1.17 trillion (US$35 million).
"Some of you might be leaving, while some of you may stay. But no matter what, I do hope that our policies can be continued, especially projects like the `Big Warmth' plan," Su said.
The stalled annual government budget proposal had also been a headache for Su.
"It has been my biggest frustration so far. I am leaving office, but I am not abandoning my people. I hope the budget issue can be resolved as soon as possible, so that the government can continue to work for the people," he said.
The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that Chang had paid a visit to Presidential Office Secretary-General Chiou I-jen (邱義仁) in the morning, but declined to say whether they had discussed the new Cabinet line-up.
Yesterday morning Chang was tight-lipped about the Cabinet reshuffle, saying he would announce the new line-up when things are more settled. Late last night, however, Chang's office issued a statement stating that he had appointed Chiou as vice premier.
The statement said that Chen Chin-Jun (
Minister of Finance Ho Chih-chin (
Keeping the economic and financial team intact reflects the government's decision to maintain policy continuity and market stability, analysts said.
Chen Jin-jun was a three-term DPP legislator before he assumed the post of vice minister of transportation and communications last month.
Lu is a DPP legislator-at-large working on behalf of the underprivileged on the basis of his extended experience with labor unions.
Lu said that he would maintain the government's policy of increasing the minimum monthly wage.
"Premier Su Tseng-chang had said that the minimum wage proposal would be implemented in July. It won't be necessary to change the policy," he said.
He said the proposal had been agreed upon by labor representatives, employers and the government, and that the government should therefore live up to it.
The Central News Agency reported earlier yesterday that the country's representative to Germany, Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) would take the helm of the Government Information Office.
Additional reporting by Shih Hsiu-chuan and CNA
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘NOT SUBORDINATE’: Only Taiwanese can decide the nation’s future, and people preserving their democratic way of life is not a provocation, President William Lai said Taiwan does not want China’s “one country, two systems,” and must uphold its freedom and democracy as well as resolve to defend itself, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, rejecting Beijing’s latest bid to bring the country under Chinese control. The president made the remarks while attending a commissioning ceremony for Taiwan’s first battalion of M1A2T Abrams tanks in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The tanks are made by General Dynamics, a major US defense contractor. China this week said it “absolutely will not” rule out using force over Taiwan, striking a much tougher tone than a series of articles in state media
RSS