Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) yesterday accepted Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch’s (張家祝) resignation after repeated efforts to dissuade Chang from quitting.
Jiang has appointed Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Woody Duh (杜紫軍), who had also offered to resign, to replace Chang.
Chang is the highest-ranking official to have quit in the wake of a series of gas pipeline explosions in Greater Kaohsiung on July 31 and Aug. 1 that killed 30 people and injured 310. The explosions are believed to have been caused by a leaking underground pipe carrying propene.
Photo: Hung Ting-hung, Taipei Times
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) expressed regret over Chang’s resignation, but said he respected the decision.
Ma also acknowledged Chang’s contribution to the government’s achievements, such as its economic cooperation agreements with Singapore and New Zealand and a service trade pact with China, Presidential Office spokeswoman Ma Wei-kuo (馬瑋國) said.
Chang, 64, tendered his resignation last week amid finger-pointing over the pipeline blasts.
Critics have blamed the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), saying its oversight of petrochemical companies has been poor.
In a public statement issued on Thursday, Chang expressed frustration over the legislative process, which he said has been hampered by the opposition’s efforts to block important economic projects. This puts the nation’s future in jeopardy, Chang said.
Since becoming economics minister in February last year, Chang took on a number of thorny issues, including massive public opposition to government efforts to complete the Fourth Nuclear Power Plant and to a service trade agreement with China.
The government eventually bent under the pressure of huge public protests against the agreement in March and April, putting the pact on hold, and has shelved the nearly completed plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).
Commenting on Duh’s appointment, National Taiwan University economics professor Kenneth Lin (林向愷) had reservations about the new arrangement.
“I do not think the appointment will help improve the economy and save lives,” Lin said. “The core problem is that the government has totally lost its direction. It cannot come up with effective policies, or measures that can help solve the serious problems faced by the people and industries.”
Those problems include stagnant wages, slow industrial improvements, the migration of advanced technologies and a widening wealth gap, Lin said.
Taiwan Institute of Economic Research (台灣經濟研究院) director Gordon Sun (孫明德) said he has no doubt that Duh is a well-trained professional and will have no problem instituting the government’s existing polices, judging from his long experience at the ministry.
However, Sun said Duh’s top priority now should be improving the ministry’s communication with lawmakers and the public if the ministry wants to push through its industrial polices.
The ministry’s key policies, such as striking a service trade deal with China, have met strong resistance from opposition lawmakers and the general public primarily because of poor communication, Sun said.
Additional reporting by Lisa Wang
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
RSS