The resignation request of Representative to the US Shen Lyu-shun (沈呂巡) prompted President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to make her first foreign affairs personnel assignment after her inauguration on Friday, with Representative to Italy Stanley Kao (高碩泰) reportedly having been tapped by the new government as the next representative to the US.
Tsai’s government will have to name representatives to the nation’s various overseas missions following a slew of resignations, which ostensibly occurred to allow the new administration greater latitude in its appointments.
Then-outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) approved the resignations of Representative to the UK Liu Chi-kung (劉志攻) on May 6; Representative to Japan Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳) on Monday last week; and Representative to Singapore Jacob Chang (張大同) and Representative to Latvia Gary Ko (葛光越) on Thursday.
Photo: CNA, provided by Taipei Representative Office in Italy
While Shen Lyu-shun had tendered his resignation on April 15 and applied for retirement, his resignation was not approved by Ma.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it has forwarded the new administration’s request that Shen Lyu-shun make plans to return by next month to facilitate the transition to a new representative to the US.
Aside from Kao, it has been rumored that former premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is to be the new representative to Japan, while former minister of foreign affairs David Lin (林永樂) has been rumored to be the nation’s next representative to the UK.
The ministry said the list of representatives for the aforementioned countries has not yet been confirmed, adding that the new government would also have to designate a new representative to Australia, as Representative to Australia David Lee (李大維) has been appointed to be the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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