The Cabinet line-up remained virtually unchanged ahead of President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) inauguration for his second term today.
The Presidential Office yesterday announced its new Cabinet team, which is led by Premier Sean Chen
Chen was designated by Ma to succeed Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) as premier in early February following the Ma-Wu ticket’s election in January.
Despite falling approval ratings for Ma and the Chen Cabinet, alongside rising calls for a Cabinet reshuffle, virtually all former Cabinet members have kept their previous positions in office.
All minister-level members were reappointed, with the exception of minister without portfolio Chang Chin-fu (張進福), who is to return to academia.
Chang’s duties, which cover policy coordination on issues related to energy (including nuclear power), environmental protection, digital convergence, transportation and communications, among others, has been left unfilled for the time being.
The new Ministry of Culture, which was upgraded from the Council of Cultural Affairs, officially begins operations today and is to be led by Lung Ying-tai (龍應台).
Hu Yu-wei (胡幼偉), a professor at the Graduate Institute of Mass Communication at National Taiwan Normal University, was appointed as spokesperson of the Executive Yuan, leading the new Office of Information Services.
Shaw Yu-ming (邵玉銘), chairman of the Coordination Council of North American Affairs — counterpart of the American Institute in Taiwan — will be replaced by David Lee (李大維), now the nation’s representative to Canada.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not announced who is to succeed Lee.
Deputy ministers of the Council of Economic Planning and Development San Gee (單驥) and Hu Chung-ying (胡仲英) both left the Cabinet. Meanwhile, Wu Ming-chi (吳明機), director of the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ Department of Industrial Technology, has been appointed vice minister of the council.
Chang Yun-cheng (張雲程) and Lin Chin-tien (林金田), who were vice ministers of the Council of Culture, were appointed vice ministers of the Ministry of Culture. Mou Chung-yuan (牟中原), a professor of chemistry at National Taiwan University, and Henry Sun (孫以瀚), a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, were appointed as deputy ministers of the National Science Council, replacing Chen Cheng-hong (陳正宏) and Chang Ching-fong (張清風).
Chen Wen-te (陳文德), a councilor at the Council of Agriculture, was promoted to deputy minister of the council, replacing Huang Yu-tsai (黃有才). Deputy minister of the Public Construction Commission Wu Kuo-an (吳國安) was replaced by Chen Chwen-jing (陳純敬), a senior consultant from the private sector.
Uya Pawan (洪良全), director of the Department of Economic and Public Construction of the Council of Indigenous Peoples, succeeds Xia Jin-long (夏錦龍) as deputy minister.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
The presence of Taiwanese politicians at China’s military parade tomorrow would send the wrong message to Beijing and the international community about Taiwan’s sovereignty and democracy, a national security official said yesterday. China is to hold the parade tomorrow to mark the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. By bringing together leaders of “anti-West” governments such as Russia, North Korea, Iran and Belarus, the parade aims to project a symbolic image of an alliance that is cohesive and unbending against Western countries, the national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu
ENHANCING DETERRENCE: Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and China’s coastal areas without any logistical difficulties Japan is to deploy extended-range anti-ship missiles at a Ground Self-Defense Force base in Kumamoto to bolster its defenses, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported on Saturday. The upgraded Type 12 surface-to-ship missile, with a range of more than 1,000km, would be capable of striking targets in the Taiwan Strait and along China’s coast. Originally limited to a few hundred kilometers, the Type 12 was recently modernized ahead of schedule. Deployment, initially slated for next year, has been accelerated after the upgrade was completed sooner than expected, the newspaper said. Stationing the missiles in Kyushu would allow Japan to cover waters near Taiwan and
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