The diplomats who head the nation’s embassies and missions abroad are “too old,” a member of the Control Yuan said yesterday, urging the government to promote younger blood to positions of authority in the foreign service.
Taiwan has 118 embassies and missions overseas, and their supervisors have an average age of 57.75 years, said Chou Yang-shan (周陽山), a member of the government watchdog agency.
“The age is on the high side,” he said, noting that 12 heads of embassies and missions abroad are older than 65 or will soon turn 65.
Only three of the supervisors at the 118 overseas bureaus are under the age of 50, he said.
Chou said he found that some of the supervisors had been hired to serve as ambassadors immediately after their compulsory retirement from the diplomatic corps.
There were also some diplomats posted to head overseas missions because they had “special connections” with the person in charge, Chou said, hinting at questionable management practices at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Chou urged the ministry to promote younger, talented diplomats to higher positions at its overseas outposts to give them the chance to learn to take charge of important missions as early as possible.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
Greenpeace yesterday said that it is to appeal a decision last month by the Taipei High Administrative Court to dismiss its 2021 lawsuit against the Ministry of Economic Affairs over “loose” regulations governing major corporate electricity consumers. The climate-related lawsuit — the first of its kind in Taiwan — sought to require the government to enforce higher green energy thresholds on major corporations to reduce emissions in light of climate change and an uptick in extreme weather. The suit, filed by Greenpeace East Asia, the Environmental Jurists Association and four individual plaintiffs, was dismissed on May 8 following four years of litigation. The
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their
RSS