Lin Chuan (林全), the man who was on Tuesday last week named by president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) to be premier in her incoming administration, started his career as an academic, but has since served in various key government posts, as well as in the corporate world.
Lin, 64, earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and taught in universities before serving in public office.
He is known for his famous motto: “Speaking of money, I have none; speaking of life, I have one,” which he used during his term as head of the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics between 2000 and 2002, when he pushed to adjust the allocation of the central government’s tax revenue.
Lin was described by legislators back then as someone who was “gentle, polite, yet stands firm.”
Under former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) administration, there were frequent changes of the finance minister, but Lin served in the post for the longest period — from late 2002 to early 2006 — during which time he pushed for financial and tax reforms and established the minimum tax system.
A civic group, the Pan-Purple Coalition, called Lin the only finance minister who did not step down because of his push for reforms. However, Lin’s financial reforms were also controversial, mainly because of graft on the part of Chen, which was related to the merging of financial institutions.
In the corporate world, Lin served as board chairman of Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進) and is a member of the board of directors at TTY Biopharm Co (台灣東洋藥品) and Pharma Engine. He also serves as an independent member of the board of directors of Inotera Memories Inc (華亞科技), Pegatron Corp (和碩) and Casetek Holdings Ltd (鎧勝).
In an appearance at a news conference with Tsai on Tuesday last week, Lin said that after Tsai won the Jan. 16 presidential election, he told her that his “career plan did not include a return to public office.”
However, Tsai has obviously persuaded him to change his mind. She also credits the premier-designate with good communication skills and knowledge about her ideals for running the nation.
Lin is chief executive officer of the New Frontier Foundation, a think tank chaired by Tsai, and played a major role in her presidential campaign.
Commenting on reports that his possible lineup of the Cabinet would be a return of Chen’s team, Lin said that “I wish the public would not label the incoming Cabinet as such.”
He said that the DPP has only governing experience under Chen, adding that the party, while in power, did nurture a lot of excellent people.
It would be “biased” if people thought that all those who served in Chen’s cabinet were bad, because he lost power after eight years.
Lin has two daughters from his first marriage, which ended quietly.
He married Wu Pei-ling (吳佩凌), one of his students at National Chengchi University and later his secretary, in 2002.
Wu, 19 years his junior, has been termed the “most unassuming wife of a government official” by the media.
In 2004, then-premier Yu Shyi-kun hosted a banquet for wives of then-cabinet members at his official residence, and Wu rode a bicycle to the party.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
RSS