Executive Yuan Spokesman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) declined to confirm yesterday whether Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) Minister Tsai Hsun-hsiung (蔡勳雄) has declined Premier Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) offer to serve as chairman of CPC Corp, Taiwan, apparently unhappy with the recent Cabinet reshuffle.
“The premier will make the necessary arrangements for the Cabinet reshuffle and announce the changes when opportune,” Chiang said.
Chiang was responding to a story published by the Chinese-language Commercial Times yesterday that quoted an anonymous source as saying Tsai was sure to leave the government and had declined an offer to take over CPC Corp or serve in any other post.
The report quoted Wu as saying that Tsai had told him he wanted to retire.
Another story by the Chinese-language China Times cited an unidentified source as saying Tsai was upset at the recent Cabinet reshuffle and felt disrespected.
It had been rumored that Tsai was to be appointed vice premier after Eric Chu (朱立倫) indicated earlier this month that he would resign from that post to run for mayor of Sinbei City (the name of Taipei County after it is upgraded to a special municipality later this year) as the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate.
Although Tsai dismissed the rumor, several lawmakers congratulated him during a question-and-answer session at the legislature’s Finance Committee on May 5.
On Thursday, Wu announced his new deputy premier — Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) Chairman Sean Chen (陳冲).
Chinatrust Financial Holding Co’s chief economic adviser Christina Liu (劉憶如) also told reporters last Friday that she had been appointed to succeed Tsai at the council, Wu did not confirm or deny the appointment.
Wu is scheduled to announce the new Cabinet officials on Wednesday, ahead of the second anniversary of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration on Thursday.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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