President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) is considering the choice of a new premier after his proposal to let the legislative majority form a new Cabinet was rejected by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), according to Presidential Office spokesman Charles Chen (陳以信).
Based on the principle of respecting the legislative majority, Ma is to consult with the DPP before announcing a new premier, Chen said.
Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) led his Cabinet members to resign en masse on Monday in the wake of the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, which saw DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) win 56.12 percent of the vote to win the presidency and her party garner 68 seats in the 113-member legislature.
Mao has insisted on leaving the post, despite Ma’s hope that he would stay on until the president can persuade the DPP to form a new Cabinet. Mao has since taken leave, with his deputy, Simon Chang (張善政), acting on his behalf.
During a meeting with Presidential Office Secretary-General Tseng Yung-chuan (曾永權) on Saturday, former DPP secretary-general Lin Hsi-yao (林錫耀) formally turned down on Tsai’s behalf Ma’s offer for the DPP to form a new Cabinet, Chen said.
The newly elected lawmakers are to be sworn in on Feb. 1, more than three months earlier than Tsai’s inauguration.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft