Premier-designate William Lai (賴清德) yesterday finalized the Cabinet reshuffle, adding only a handful of new faces while retaining the majority of ministers.
Only two ministers are being replaced: National Development Council Minister Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝) will today be replaced by Cabinet Secretary-General Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) and Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is to become the new Financial Supervisory Commission chairman, Executive Yuan spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
Koo’s vacancy is to be filled by National Security Council adviser Lin Feng-jeng (林?正), Hsu said.
Acting Minister of Economic Affairs Sheng Jong-chin (沈榮津) is to be promoted to minister and National Development Council Deputy Minister Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) is to be named Shen’s deputy.
Lai has named Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (台灣證交所) chairman Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) as the next vice premier and Democratic Progressive Party Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as the next Cabinet secretary-general.
All other ministers are to remain at their posts, including Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮), Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維), Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬), Minister of Finance Sheu Yu-jer (許虞哲), Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠), Minister of Justice Chiu Tai-san (邱太三), Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦), Minister of Labor Lin Mei-chu (林美珠), Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), Minister of Culture Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君), Minister of Science and Technology Chen Liang-gee (陳良基) Environmental Protection Administration Minister Lee Ying-yuan (李應元), Council of Agriculture Minister Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢), Mainland Affairs Council Minister Katharine Chang (張小月), Overseas Community Affairs Council Minister Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興), Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Icyang Parod and Hakka Affairs Council Minister Lee Yong-te (李永得).
The ministers without portfolio are Lin Wan-i (林萬億), Chang Ching-sen (張景森), Chen Mei-ling, Hsu Chang-yao (許璋瑤), John Deng (鄧振中), Audrey Tang (唐鳳), Wu Tsung-tsong (吳政忠) and Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀). All are incumbents, except for Chen Mei-ling.
CGA Director-General Lee Chung-wei (李仲威), Veterans Affairs Council Director Lee Shying-jow (李翔宙), Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics Minister Chu Tzer-ming (朱澤民), Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Minister Jay Shih (施能傑), Public Construction Commission Minister Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) and Atomic Energy Council Minister Hsieh Shou-shing (謝曉星) are also to remain.
However, Deputy Minister of Labor Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) is to leave for personal reasons.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
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