Government Information Office (GIO) Minister Vanessa Shih (史亞平), who doubles as Executive Yuan spokeswoman, will step down from the Cabinet tomorrow and leave for Singapore in the near future to serve as representative to the Southeast Asian nation.
Shih’s successor will be Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓), the Taoyuan County Government’s Environmental Protection Bureau (EPB) chief, who will assume the post on Jan. 5 after the New Year break.
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) will make the announcement after the Cabinet’s year-end press conference today and the handover ceremony is scheduled to take place tomorrow.
Su, born in 1976, was one of the three main spokespersons for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) election campaign team, together with Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) and Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強).
After the election victory, Wang was named Presidential Office spokesman, while Lo was appointed deputy president of the state-owned Central News Agency in early October.
Su vowed at the time that he would neither seek a position in the Presidential Office nor in the Cabinet and returned to his position in the Taoyuan County Government.
Before that, he was legislative assistant for Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Shyu Jong-shyoung (徐中雄).
Ma borrowed Su from Taoyuan County Commissioner Chu Li-lun (朱立倫) in January last year when he was KMT chairman, making Su the party’s tub-thumper.
Su earned a PhD in environmental engineering at National Taiwan University.
Shih’s departure means she is the third top official to leave the Cabinet, following Lin Fang-yue (林芳郁), who resigned as health minister during the tainted Chinese milk products scandal in September, and former Financial Supervisory Commission chairman Gordon Chen (陳樹), who left his post earlier this month.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) yesterday backed Shih’s appointment, calling her a “fitting candidate” to be the nation’s representative to Singapore.
“She is a career diplomat. I believe she is both a fitting and competent candidate to shoulder the task of maintaining Taiwan’s friendly relations with Singapore,” Ou said.
Ou refused to confirm the rumor that Shih would take over the Singapore office on Jan. 15, because the Singaporean government has yet to approve Shih’s appointment.
Ou, however, said official approval should be received in the next few days.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JENNY W. HSU
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
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had