Association of East Asian Relations (AEAR) chairman Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) has resigned to help take care of his mother, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) praised Liao’s contributions to consolidating relations with Japan and his dedication to the nation over the years he served as commissioner for the then-Taichung County, minister of the interior and Presidential Office secretary-general, the office said.
“Liao has developed great political experience by holding several key positions in central and local governments. With a mother and grandmother who are both Japanese, Liao has a profound connection with Japan. However, it was his humility and diplomacy that prompted President Ma to appoint him as AEAR chairman in February 2012 in the hope of improving ties between Taiwan and Japan,” the office said.
It praised Liao’s “remarkable work” at AEAR, including the establishment of the Taiwan-Japan Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) program, the signing of a memorandum of understanding on industrial cooperation and the inking of a mutual recognition agreement on conformity assessment of electrical and electronic equipment.
He also oversaw the signing of a fisheries agreement with Japan on April 10 aimed at ending a long-standing dispute over fishing in waters surrounding the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), the office said.
Under the deal, fishing vessels from both countries can operate in a large area within a designated zone near the islands, which Japan calls the Senkakus, without being subject to the jurisdiction of the other side.
A smaller area in the zone, where Japanese fishing vessels frequently operate, is under joint management by the two governments.
“Liao has tendered his resignation and his decision will be respected. Although his official resignation is pending a meeting of the AEAR’s board, President Ma intends to appoint him as a senior presidential adviser once his resignation is finalized,” the office said.
Despite the personal reason cited for the resignation, there has been speculation about Liao’s motives, including whether the former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) secretary-general stepped down to prepare to run for mayor of Greater Taichung in next year’s elections.
He is from the powerful “red” faction in Greater Taichung.
Greater Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (胡自強) said Liao’s filial piety should be respected and not be twisted or questioned.
“The party [KMT] has its own primary system for elective posts and I welcome every potential candidate to take part in the primary election [for Taichung mayor],” said Hu, who is a KMT member.
Standing next to Hu as he answered reporters’ questions yesterday, Taichung Deputy Mayor Shyu Jong-shyong (徐中雄), who is Liao’s nephew, said the reasons for his uncle’s resignation were neither simple nor complicated.
Until Liao actually said he would be a candidate, no one was in a position to speak for him, the Chinese-language United Evening News quoted Shyu as saying.
There is also speculation that the resignation was the result of Liao’s tense relationship with the “Ma camp” and a feeling that his efforts for Ma’s campaign in last year’s presidential election were not recognized. The newspaper reported that Liao felt he was not trusted by the Ma camp after his requests to allocate KMT funds were repeatedly denied, even though he was the party’s secretary-general.
The reports said Liao felt aggrieved that his campaign efforts were only rewarded with a “nominal post” [the AEAR chairmanship] and he had only reluctantly taken the job out of respect for Ma.
He apparently submitted his resignation some time ago, but it was only accepted after the fisheries agreement was signed, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.
Meanwhile, National Security Council advisor Lee Chia-chin (李嘉進) has reportedly been picked to replace Liao, sources familiar with the matter said.
Lee has a master’s degree in economics from a Japanese university and has served as a KMT legislator and caucus whip. He handles Taiwan-Japan relations at the council, the sources said.
The government hopes that relations with Japan will continue smoothly under Lee, a source said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique