Having completed his trip to Shanghai yesterday, Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Hsin-yi (
"I am not entitled to give myself a grade here. Everyone has his or her subjective evaluation, but I've done my best. I've completed my task according to the government's original plan," Lin said in a composed manner, raising his thick black eyebrows.
TAIPEI TIMES FILE PHOTO
But the 55-year-old businessman-turned-minister has tasted some ruthless criticism over his recent performance in Shanghai from a Presidential Office official, as a local media report on Thursday illustrated.
A report on Thursday in the Liberty Times blasted Lin, quoting officials in the Presidential Office who reportedly said he "lacked the discipline to obey orders" from above. The report also alleged that Lin failed to protest against China's degrading treatment of Taiwan. China, the host country of the the APEC trade ministers' meeting, failed to address Lin as a "minister" in his invitation.
However, the Presidential Office denied the report, and Lin said on Thursday morning in response to the report that he had indeed given a protest letter to his Chinese counterpart Shi Guangsheng (石廣生) during their bilateral talks on Tuesday as well as to other APEC trade ministers to safeguard Taiwan's "national dignity."
But the report had its impact on Lin.
"He felt surprised by the report, and found it [the allegation] incomprehensible," a close aide to Lin said.
But the minister soon regained his unruffled posture, according to Vice Minister of Economic Affairs Steve Chen (
"Anyone in his position would have felt upset, but he still pulled himself together," Chen said.
Indeed, Lin, who got an average of just four hours of sleep every day during his visit to Shanghai, exerted what Chen dubbed as "a spirit of persistence" to complete his task this week at APEC.
On the sidelines during APEC meetings, he held various bilateral talks with his counterparts, seeking their support for Taiwan's entry into the WTO. Amid the cross-strait standoff, he was assigned to express to his Chinese counterpart Taiwan's aspiration for resuming talks even though China has refused to sit down at the negotiating table.
Furthermore, over 50 mainland-based Taiwanese business executives wasted no time tell Lin on Friday evening their grumbles about the "lack of shelter" for their businesses in China.
Compared to his predecessors, Lin's background in the private sector has served both as an asset and a liability in his current post as the economic affairs minister, observers said.
"He's friendly and is easy to approach. He lacks the stiffness that defines many officials. And his previous background as a businessman has enabled him to understand the problems we've confronted with in the private sector," commented David Su (
An engineering major, Lin joined the China Motor Corporation (CMC) as an engineer in 1972. In 1987, he was promoted to general manager of the then financially ailing company. Ten years later, he took up the post of CMC's vice chairman and eventually revitalized the company into one of the auto industry heavyweights of Taiwan.
In 1998, CMC was awarded "Best Reputation and Role Model for Taiwan's Motor Industry in 1997."
Gradually, Lin won himself the nickname of "Taiwan's Iacocca" and was deemed by Commonwealth magazine as "the most professional business executive" in Taiwan.
poor political understanding
Before Lin joined the government, he was also involved in CMC's plan to set up a plant in Fuzhou in China and persuaded 30 other related automobile component makers to establish production bases in Fuzhou concurrently.
Although some business executives believed Lin, as a former businessman himself, could empathize with them, his relatively poor understanding of Taiwan's politics has made his job as a minister very difficult.
"Now he has to realize that various forces are at play in influencing the ministry's policymaking process," said Ronald Chen (
One of the major setbacks during the past one year, Ronald Chen admitted, was Lin's persistent support for scrapping the construction of the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in Taipei County.
Lin has argued that his stance on the controversial project was based on his "professional judgment" and his "intuitive ability to know right and wrong."
"He pointed out a fact that has long been ignored. That is, Taiwan doesn't lack power -- the key problem lies in the power transmission system. Though the bulk of Taiwan's power is generated in the south, it is the north that needs the lion's share of the electricity," Ronald Chen said.
But once the issue was "politicized," as Chen described, Lin found himself deprived of his KMT membership as his party deemed him as a traitor against the party's stance on the project.
Worse yet, his credibility was put into doubt as some private-sector leaders claimed that Lin's stance on the project simply disregarded their needs.
Although some suspected that the latest criticism from a Presidential Office official could signal the possibility that Lin would be replaced as minister in the near future, Lin remained optimistic.
"Frankly speaking, the report is wrong," Lin said as he toured downtown Shanghai on Friday.
NO HUMAN ERROR: After the incident, the Coast Guard Administration said it would obtain uncrewed aerial vehicles and vessels to boost its detection capacity Authorities would improve border control to prevent unlawful entry into Taiwan’s waters and safeguard national security, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday after a Chinese man reached the nation’s coast on an inflatable boat, saying he “defected to freedom.” The man was found on a rubber boat when he was about to set foot on Taiwan at the estuary of Houkeng River (後坑溪) near Taiping Borough (太平) in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口), authorities said. The Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) northern branch said it received a report at 6:30am yesterday morning from the New Taipei City Fire Department about a
IN BEIJING’S FAVOR: A China Coast Guard spokesperson said that the Chinese maritime police would continue to carry out law enforcement activities in waters it claims The Philippines withdrew its coast guard vessel from a South China Sea shoal that has recently been at the center of tensions with Beijing. BRP Teresa Magbanua “was compelled to return to port” from Sabina Shoal (Xianbin Shoal, 仙濱暗沙) due to bad weather, depleted supplies and the need to evacuate personnel requiring medical care, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman Jay Tarriela said yesterday in a post on X. The Philippine vessel “will be in tiptop shape to resume her mission” after it has been resupplied and repaired, Philippine Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, who heads the nation’s maritime council, said
CHINA POLICY: At the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China, the two sides issued strong support for Taiwan and condemned China’s actions in the South China Sea The US and EU issued a joint statement on Wednesday supporting Taiwan’s international participation, notably omitting the “one China” policy in a departure from previous similar statements, following high-level talks on China and the Indo-Pacific region. The statement also urged China to show restraint in the Taiwan Strait. US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and European External Action Service Secretary-General Stefano Sannino cochaired the seventh US-EU Dialogue on China and the sixth US-EU Indo-Pacific Consultations from Monday to Tuesday. Since the Indo-Pacific consultations were launched in 2021, references to the “one China” policy have appeared in every statement apart from the
More than 500 people on Saturday marched in New York in support of Taiwan’s entry to the UN, significantly more people than previous years. The march, coinciding with the ongoing 79th session of the UN General Assembly, comes close on the heels of growing international discourse regarding the meaning of UN Resolution 2758. Resolution 2758, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1971, recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the “only lawful representative of China.” It resulted in the Republic of China (ROC) losing its seat at the UN to the PRC. Taiwan has since been excluded from