Minister Without Portfolio Chiang Been-huang (蔣丙煌), who is in charge of technology and health welfare-related affairs at the Cabinet, is to take the role left vacant by former minister of health and welfare Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達), the Executive Yuan said yesterday in a press release.
“The public has been yearning for an overhauled food safety system following the recent spate of food scares, which makes the ministry’s need for a leader specialized in food safety management even more urgent,” Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said in the press release.
Sun said Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) believed that desperate times call for desperate measures and decided to rise above the common conception that the ministerial position must be taken on by medical or public health experts.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
“Premier Jiang is confident that the newly appointed minister will do his utmost to address the food safety problems in an effort to make the public feel at ease when choosing their foods,” Sun said.
After nearly four years at the helm of the ministry, Chiu resigned on Oct. 3 to take political responsibility for the nation’s seemingly endless series of food scares.
With a doctorate in food science from the University of Illinois in the US, Chiang has served as the dean of National Taiwan University’s Institute of Food Science and Technology as well as the College Bioresources and Agriculture department head.
Since he became a minister without portfolio in March this year, the former academic has addressed health and welfare-related affairs, including government policies on disease control, health and medicine and food safety, the press release said.
“In addition, Chiang has participated in every inter-ministerial meeting on the recent series of cooking oil scandals presided over by Jiang. He is familiar with the government’s current food safety policies and is perfectly aware of the improvements that need to be made,” the press release said.
“He is the most ideal candidate to lead the entire ministry in safeguarding people’s health,” it added.
Jiang praised Chiang’s expertise in food safety and biotechnology during a question-and-answer session at the legislature, saying that Chiang also possessed adequate knowledge of the prevention of Ebola virus infection and the priority draft bills the ministry has been pursuing.
At a press conference held to announce his new designation, Chiang said it took him nearly a week to decide whether to take the job at such a sensitive time.
“However, if my accepting the job can really help achieve something, then everything else is secondary,” Chiang said, adding that his ultimate goal was to ensure public health and give people peace of mind.
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,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed 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