In response to questions about the constitutionality of President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) high-level policy meetings, which are attended by government officials, lawmakers and party officials, Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday said that former presidents had similar approaches.
Tsai on Oct. 1 announced the High-Level Policy Coordination Meeting, at which representatives of the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan, local governments, the Democratic Progressive Party caucus and high-ranking party officials have every Monday since its launch discussed and facilitated the creation and implementation of policies.
Critics have called the meetings unconstitutional, with some saying they upset the checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches, with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) calling Tsai the “empress” behind the Cabinet.
When asked by reporters about the issue, Lin said that there should not be such a big fuss, as former presidents Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had conducted similar meetings.
“As for the call of many for revisions to related regulations in the Constitution, we respect their views,” Lin added.
The premier was also questioned about the issue during a legislative question-and-answer session, at which KMT Legislator William Tseng (曾銘宗) cited former grand justice Hsu Tzong-li’s (許宗力) remarks at a confirmation hearing for Hsu’s nomination to Judicial Yuan president that such meetings require “further consideration.”
In response to Lin saying that both former presidents had similar approaches, and that controversy has always arisen due to the nation’s semi-presidential system, Tseng said that while National Security Council meetings include officials from administrative departments, they do not involve local government officials.
The premier said that public concern does not revolve around the participation of local government heads at the meetings, but rather whether the Cabinet’s ability to make decisions has been overridden by the president.
“Now we do not have such a problem,” Lin said, adding that as premier he is responsible for decisionmaking and that policies would not be implemented without his consent.
He added that the president was democratically elected, and that Tsai too has promised and proposed policies.
“The policy coordination meeting can include officials from agencies to facilitate implementation of policies, which should not be conflated with worries about the Executive Yuan’s decisionmaking being overruled,” Lin said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the