Chinatrust Financial Holding Co’s (中信金控) chief economic adviser Christina Liu (劉憶如) informed reporters late on Friday that she had been appointed to succeed Tsai Hsun-hsiung (蔡勳雄) as head of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD).
Liu, daughter of former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) minister of finance Guo Woan-rong (郭婉容), called reporters in person, saying she had obtained the approval of Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to make the calls.
Approached by reporters yesterday, Wu refused to confirm the news.
After serving two terms as a legislator-at-large for the People First Party, Liu worked at Daiwa Securities and then Chinatrust Financial Holding Co.
With a doctorate in economics from the University of Chicago, Liu has been a professor at the City University of New York, University of Chicago, Australian National University, Beijing Tsing Hua University, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and National Taiwan University.
Wu said he would unveil new Cabinet officials, mostly in economics-related ministries, all at once before Wednesday, ahead of the second anniversary of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration on Thursday.
Minister of Finance Lee Sush-der (李述德), one of the officials believed likely to lose his position, was tight-lipped yesterday when asked for comment.
Speaking to reporters, Liu said she was keen to help the government make the next decade a “golden age” for Taiwan, a pledge made by Ma when pushing to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) with China.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a