Calling him “the best executive,” president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday named former minister of finance Lin Chuan (林全) as the premier of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration that is to take office on May 20.
Lin is good at communicating and solving problems, and is also adept at delineating the parameters of a disagreement so that a solution can be found, Tsai said.
Lin is the person most familiar with her plans for governing the nation, and his performance when he was a minister won the approval of the public, Tsai said.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
“That was why I chose him as premier,” Tsai said alongside Lin at a press conference held to announce his appointment.
Lin, born in Kaohsiung on Dec. 13, 1951, was chief of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan between 2000 and 2002, and minister of finance between late 2002 and early 2006 under then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). He has no party affiliation.
Lin is now the chief executive officer of the New Frontier Foundation, a think tank chaired by Tsai. He played a major role in her presidential campaign.
Although Lin worked exclusively on financial matters when in government, Tsai said: “I promise everyone that Lin Chuan’s Cabinet will not be one focused on economics and finance,” but one of reform, and one that is good at communicating and getting things done.
Tsai said she chose to announce the appointment yesterday because she plans to have the key positions in the new Cabinet selected by next month to give her team enough time to prepare for office.
The nation faces many long-standing problems and challenges, Tsai said, adding that the political and social reforms she pledged are as important to her as economic and industrial policies.
Starting straight away, her team aims to rebuild the public’s trust in the government, Tsai said.
“I believe Lin Chuan will be the best executive for Taiwan as it heads toward reform,” Tsai said.
At the news conference, Lin said he would aim for close communication with local governments and that he hoped to recruit talented officials from local government to help the Cabinet get a grasp of the needs and expectations of the public.
Saying that at first he did not want to return to public life, Lin called on people with experience to “help us in government,” adding that the government must nurture new talent to be sustainable.
Lin has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Fu Jen Catholic University and a master’s degree in public finance from National Chengchi University. He received his doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
He has also served as executive director of Tsai’s Thinking Taiwan Foundation and head of the Taipei City Government’s Department of Finance, and is now a part-time instructor at National Taiwan University’s department of economics.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is expected to start construction of its 1.4-nanometer chip manufacturing facilities at the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP, 中部科學園區) as early as October, the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper) reported yesterday, citing the park administration. TSMC acquired land for the second phase of the park’s expansion in Taichung in June. Large cement, construction and facility engineering companies in central Taiwan have reportedly been receiving bids for TSMC-related projects, the report said. Supply-chain firms estimated that the business opportunities for engineering, equipment and materials supply, and back-end packaging and testing could reach as high as
ALL QUIET: The Philippine foreign secretary told senators she would not respond to questions about whether Lin Chia-lung was in the country The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday confirmed that a business delegation is visiting the Philippines, but declined to say whether Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) is part of the group, as Philippine lawmakers raised questions over Lin’s reported visit. The group is being led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Huang Chao-chin (黃昭欽), Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association (CIECA) chairman Joseph Lyu (呂桔誠) and US-Taiwan Business Council (USTBC) vice president Lotta Danielsson, the ministry said in a statement. However, sources speaking on condition of anonymity said that Lin is leading the delegation of 70 people. Filinvest New Clark City Innovation Park
DEFENSIVE EDGE: The liaison officer would work with Taiwan on drones and military applications for other civilian-developed technologies, a source said A Pentagon unit tasked with facilitating the US military’s adoption of new technology is soon to deploy officials to dozens of friendly nations, including Taiwan, the Financial Times reported yesterday. The US Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) is to send a representative to collaborate with Taiwan on drones and military applications from the semiconductor industry by the end of the year, the British daily reported, citing three sources familiar with the matter. “Drones will certainly be a focus, but they will also be looking at connecting to the broader civilian and dual-use ecosystem, including the tech sector,” one source was