Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) yesterday vowed to work for prosperity, sustainability and a fair distribution of wealth at the ceremony to install the new Cabinet.
Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) handed over premiership to Liu under the supervision of Vice President Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) at the Executive Yuan yesterday.
Liu expressed thanks to Chang for his Cabinet’s efforts to stabilize the nation’s political situation and ensure continuity in policies, and expressed gratitude for the outgoing Cabinet’s cooperation with the incoming government as it prepared to hand over power.
PHOTO: CNA
Liu, who was vice premier when the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) handed over the reins to the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2000, said it was the wish of the public that the government pursue progress regardless of which party is in power.
“We will proceed with [the DPP] government’s good policies, come up with proposals for policies that require adjusting, execute the platform of [President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Siew] and map out forward-looking policies,” Liu said.
In his speech, Chang, who served two terms as premier under the DPP administration, praised the nation for its democratic achievements.
“Since Taiwan held the [first] direct presidential election in 1996, no matter how ferocious election campaigns have been, power has been transferred peacefully. That reflects progress and democracy in Taiwan. It’s a hard-earned achievement,” Chang said. “We have demonstrated to the whole world our progress and democracy through today’s transfer of power. It’s a historic moment.”
Siew commended Chang and his administrative team for their painstaking efforts during the caretaker period between the March 22 presidential election and yesterday’s installment of the new administration.
Chang has set a positive example for statesmen through his deeds, which kept the political situation stable during the caretaker period and enhanced the public’s confidence in the nation’s democracy, Siew said.
After the ceremony, Liu escorted Chang on his way out of the Executive Yuan.
Liu tripped while walking down the stairs in the lobby of the Executive Yuan hall, nearly falling.
“I am fine. My kung fu is very good,” Liu, a martial arts fiction fan and author of more than 10 martial arts novels, joked in response to reporters’ questions.
In related news, Jason Yuan (袁健生) has been tapped by the Ma administration to serve as the nation’s representative to Washington, US sources said yesterday.
Sources said the US government was expected to accept Yuan’s appointment soon.
Yuan served as the nation’s representative to Canada and Panama and as director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in Los Angeles under the last KMT administration.
He has served as the KMT’s representative to the US since 2004.
Meanwhile, Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Taiwan’s current representative to the US, has handed in his resignation.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY STAFF WRITER
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS