The Presidential Office yesterday confirmed that Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Chen, 69, has been a persistent Taiwan independence promoter since the 1970s, when he studied in the US. The prominent former overseas leader of the democratic movement headed the Taiwanese Association of America and the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
He was also instrumental in establishing the Washington-based Formosan Association for Public Affairs in the early 1980s, which promoted democratization. It has been widely speculated by local media that his appointment to be the president's No. 1 man could be attributed to his strong sense of Taiwan consciousness, which is important in light of the cross-strait issues the president raised in his latest New Year address.
At a year-end gathering with the media yesterday, President Chen Shui-bian (
"You have to be loyal to yourself, your work, the land and the people here," the president said.
The Presidential Office yesterday also announced that Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (
Huang will be officially designated as Minister of Foreign Affairs tomorrow. Since the president announced last Thursday that the new Cabinet will be led by former Democratic Progressive Party chairman Su Tseng-chang (
Controversy especially surrounded Huang and Minister of the Public Construction Commission Kuo Yao-Chi (
Opposition parties have criticized some new Cabinet members for not having adequate experience in the fields to which they have been designated. They have also expressed concern about the president's involvement in the composition of the Cabinet.
The president yesterday expressed deep appreciation to outgoing premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), who officially resigned yesterday. Recent public statements by Hsieh have indicated that the president has adopted a more reluctant attitude toward cross-strait issues.
"I hope that Hsieh will have a smooth future. However, all of us are in the same boat. None of us can be allowed to unbalance it," Chen Shui-bian said.
A number of former Cabinet members who had just resigned were designated fully-paid National Policy Advisers to the president yesterday. They include Lin Ling-san (
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
Tigerair Taiwan and China Airlines (CAL) today announced that several international flights were canceled or rescheduled due to Typhoon Ragasa. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) has maintained sea and land warnings for the typhoon. Its storm circle reached the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春半島) on Taiwan's southern tip at 11am today. Tigerair Taiwan said it canceled Monday's IT551/IT552 Taoyuan-Da Nang, IT606/IT607 Taoyuan-Busan and IT602 Taoyuan-Seoul Incheon flights. Tomorrow, cancelations include IT603 Seoul Incheon-Taoyuan, as well as flights between Taoyuan and Sapporo, Osaka, Tokyo Narita, Okinawa, Fukuoka, Saga, Tokyo Haneda, Nagoya, Asahikawa and Jeju. On Wednesday, the IT321/IT322 Kaohsiung-Macau round-trip would also be canceled. CAL announced that today's
Three tropical depressions yesterday intensified into tropical storms, with one likely to affect Taiwan as a typhoon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The three storms, named Mitag, Ragasa and Neoguri, were designated as storms No. 17 to 19 for this year, the CWA said. Projected routes indicate that Ragasa is most likely to affect Taiwan, it said. As of 2am today, Ragasa was 1,370km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) on the southernmost tip of Taiwan. It was moving west-northwest before turning northwest, slowing from 11kph to 6kph, the agency said. A sea warning for Ragasa is unlikely before Sunday afternoon, but its outer rim
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