China Airlines (CAL) president Hsieh Shih-chien (謝世謙) is to become its chairman, the China Aviation Development Foundation, the airline’s largest shareholder, said yesterday.
The foundation holds 35.9 percent of CAL’s shares, while the second and third-largest shareholders are the National Development Fund and Chunghwa Telecom, which hold 9.9 percent and 4.86 percent respectively.
Chinese-language media reports yesterday said the decision to replace CAL chairman Ho Nuan-hsuan (何煖軒) was approved by the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei
The foundation said that it was scheduled to propose that Hsieh become chairman during a meeting of its board last night, after which it would notify the airline and request CAL convene its own board to vote on the move.
The airline would later decide when to convene its own board, the foundation said.
After graduating from Soochow University, Hsieh worked his way up from an entry-level position with CAL to managerial positions, including at its offices in Kaohsiung, Indonesia and Australia. He also served as chairman of TACT Logistics, part of the China Airlines Group.
He was appointed CAL president on June 24, 2016, amid a strike against the airline by the Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union.
Hsieh was in charge of negotiating with representatives of Taoyuan Union of Pilots after the union went on strike against CAL in February, and was credited with helping end the strike in seven days by remaining on good terms with Taoyuan Union of Pilots members.
The Taoyuan Union of Pilots yesterday affirmed Hsieh’s appointment.
Hsieh established a direct and smooth channel of communication with the union ever since it signed a collective labor agreement with the airline to end a strike on Feb. 14, the pilots union said in a statement.
“Through the multiple conversations with the airline’s management, we have felt that Hsieh was willing to listen to union members and viewed the interaction between the company’s management and the union from the most positive light,” the pilots union said. “We hope that Hsieh can fundamentally improve the labor-management relations after he becomes the chairman, as the relations need to be founded on mutual trust. We also hope that his leadership can unite CAL’s employees so that we can together to improve the company’s operation and enhance its service quality and aviation safety.”
During the strike, the pilots union had called for Ho to be replaced as chairman.
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
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
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
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
RSS