Chung Chin, (鍾琴) a research fellow of the Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research(中華經濟研究員) who has never been in the political spotlight before, was named to head the Government Information Office yesterday as the the Cabinet of the newly elected government continued to take shape.
Amid allegations that Premier-designate Tang Fei (
Besides the appointment of Chung, Tang declared Tainan County Commissioner Mark Chen (
Chung Chin, who has done research in cross-strait economics and trade, later confirmed that she had been chosen by Tang as the new cabinet's spokesperson.
"Tang is an open-minded person and he considers team work very important," Chung said, adding that she saw an essential part of her job as keeping the premier informed of public opinion.
A mainlander, Chung said she used to join many discussion meetings organized by the DPP, although she had never had direct contact with the new president.
"As far as national status goes I am closer to the DPP, but I know the head of the GIO is a bridge between the premier and the people. I will not let my personal opinions get in the way," Chung said.
Chung said she looked forward to the new challenge of her position.
"I like a challenge and this post will give me plenty of experiences that I can take back to my research," Chung said.
Mark Chen later called a press conference during which he pledged to make Taiwan an important technological center.
He added he would consult Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
Tang yesterday also met DPP Lawmaker Chen Ting-nan (
After meeting with Tang, Chen Ting-nan told reporters he had accepted Tang's invitation to take over as the minister of justice.
Chen pledged to fight against corruption and "black gold," suggesting the setting up of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (
Chen vowed to immediately pursue all of those public officials who have connections with organized crime.
When asked if he would prosecute his colleagues in the legislature he said, "I will enforce the law without fear or favor."
The new posts for Lin Chuan and Tien Hung-mao were both finalized yesterday.
Lin will take over as director-general of accounting, budget and statistics, while Tien will be the next minister of foreign affairs.
As to others who may be offered Cabinet posts, vice chairman of the Central Bank of China Shea Jia-dong (許嘉棟) yesterday kept low profile, although he admitted that he had met the president-elect and the premier-designate to discuss the possibility of his becoming minister of finance, while New Party Lawmaker Hao Lung-ping (郝龍斌), who has tipped to head the Environmental Protection Administration (環保署), said he would make up his mind tomorrow.
Chiayi Mayor Chang Po-ya (張博雅) yesterday indicated she would rather stay where she was than head the Ministry of the Interior.
As Tang is set to undergo a surgery to remove a tumor in his chest today, he reportedly met DPP Secretary-General Yu Hsi-kun to discuss controversial appointments.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
CHIP WAR: The new restrictions are expected to cut off China’s access to Taiwan’s technologies, materials and equipment essential to building AI semiconductors Taiwan has blacklisted Huawei Technologies Co (華為) and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), dealing another major blow to the two companies spearheading China’s efforts to develop cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) chip technologies. The Ministry of Economic Affairs’ International Trade Administration has included Huawei, SMIC and several of their subsidiaries in an update of its so-called strategic high-tech commodities entity list, the latest version on its Web site showed on Saturday. It did not publicly announce the change. Other entities on the list include organizations such as the Taliban and al-Qaeda, as well as companies in China, Iran and elsewhere. Local companies need
CRITICISM: It is generally accepted that the Straits Forum is a CCP ‘united front’ platform, and anyone attending should maintain Taiwan’s dignity, the council said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday said it deeply regrets that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) echoed the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) “one China” principle and “united front” tactics by telling the Straits Forum that Taiwanese yearn for both sides of the Taiwan Strait to move toward “peace” and “integration.” The 17th annual Straits Forum yesterday opened in Xiamen, China, and while the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) local government heads were absent for the first time in 17 years, Ma attended the forum as “former KMT chairperson” and met with Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Chairman Wang Huning (王滬寧). Wang
CROSS-STRAIT: The MAC said it barred the Chinese officials from attending an event, because they failed to provide guarantees that Taiwan would be treated with respect The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday night defended its decision to bar Chinese officials and tourism representatives from attending a tourism event in Taipei next month, citing the unsafe conditions for Taiwanese in China. The Taipei International Summer Travel Expo, organized by the Taiwan Tourism Exchange Association, is to run from July 18 to 21. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) on Friday said that representatives from China’s travel industry were excluded from the expo. The Democratic Progressive Party government is obstructing cross-strait tourism exchange in a vain attempt to ignore the mainstream support for peaceful development
RSS